How is it that so many people get away with selling shows on Ebay?? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

nannyfan · 12-12-2003, 11:47 AM

What makes what they are doing on Ebay - which is clearly selling for a profit legal? There are so many and Ebay doesn't appear to end their auctions early...............

dlemond · 12-12-2003, 11:59 AM

They do end some early, but word is that ebay is so big it is virtually impossible to get most of them.

A lot of people who get caught have their ids banned and they usually just resign under a new name- which is why a bunch have little feedback. Private auction is another method where they hide, where you can't see the product after the auction is done. It is hard to guage these people.

Most people who are caught, I believe, are by other ebayers who turn them in- etiher because of a bad transaction, bad quality, being outbid, or just to be a snitch.

Those who deal fairly (I have never bought or sold copies on ebay, but have looked countless times for shows) seem to last for a long time. They survive by keeping costs low and the product good (and they have lots of feedback).

Buy it Now or a set price also helps keep the wheels in motion for these sellers- most of these are with vcds.

Hope that helps.

nannyfan · 12-12-2003, 12:12 PM

Interesting....my experience with buying varies from good to disaster. More times than not, I am disappointed in the quality. Most recently, I purchased a complete set of Rocko's Modern Life for $70.00 plus $10.00 shipping for 6 dvdrs. The picture quality is excellent; however, the guy didn't put menus on the dvds. When I asked him about it after the fact he stated that the other buyers "who asked the question prior to bidding/buying said that menus didn't matter to them". In other words - rather, key words "before bidding/buying". He also stated that all I have to do is "fastforward" to the episode I want to watch. I guess he doesn't know how difficult it is to fastforward and actually stop right at the beginning of the next episode.

With every purchase, I learn something new! I have also learned that I will NEVER buy or trade for vhs tapes again. Like I have stated in a previous post, and Agent 13 can attest to this - that it is extremely frustrating to receive a tape that you have to try in every vcr in the house before you find one that will play the tape. I realize that picture quality/sound, etc can be goofed up on dvdr's as well, but - at least the guts won't be broken in them like happens in vhs tapes sometimes.

Agent 13 · 12-12-2003, 12:47 PM

I tried to sell one set quite awhile back, and since I didn't relish the idea of ruining my reputation, I never tried again.

I personally think that basically the sellers that succeed in selling on eBay are twisting the truth in one way or another or else generally give minimal information. I know that one seller stated on his auction that he required bidders to email him first or else he'd delete their bid. I emailed him, as requested, and sure enough, he was selling TV shows he'd copied from TV.

One seller on eBay that I bought a set of TV shows from had a super basic ad which was very evasive in its description, and he specialized in "buy it now" auctions that last three days. I suppose that eBay had a harder time catching up with him. He got along fine until he'd gotten several negative feedbacks stating the truth about his stuff.

nannyfan · 12-12-2003, 03:04 PM

You know what....the Rocko set I purchase was a buy-it-now auction. What amazes me is that the guy has 100% positive feedback...am I the only one who enjoys being able to select which episode I want to watch from a menu??

Agent 13 · 12-12-2003, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nannyfan
You know what....the Rocko set I purchase was a buy-it-now auction. What amazes me is that the guy has 100% positive feedback...am I the only one who enjoys being able to select which episode I want to watch from a menu??

I personally believe that your Rocko seller just didn't want to take the time to do that for you (it's time consuming). I wonder if he was being completely honest when he claimed that other buyers "who asked the question prior to bidding/buying said that menus didn't matter to them". That sounds like a push-off to me.

I, too, appreciate being able to select which episode I want to watch from a menu; however, it's unrealistic for me personally to program titles on DVDs without a hard drive. In order to do that, I'd have to sit in front of the TV for each cotton pickin' episode. But then again, I'm not selling them.

sgm1970 · 12-12-2003, 06:03 PM

Hiya Agent 13,

You have a panasonic dvd recorder, right? Just to let you know that with the Philips recorder I have, you can record a full 6 hours onto a disc, then go back and separate episodes into separate titles. It takes 2-3 min to do each separation, but, it's a lot easier than "sitting in front of the tv". I sit in front of the tv when editing out commercials from shows and it is extremely time consuming. When I first started putting shows on dvd (like columbo

) I thought, I'll just leave the commercials in. Then I started a series & edited all the commercials out & it was so much fun to watch, that now I edit commercials out of everything. It slows me down, but makes a more enjoyable disc.

Anyway, good post Nannyfan, I always wondered how people could sell stuff on ebay & not get a call from the MPAA myself. I'm not brave enough to try it myself, but, yes, I've found some extremely rare things on ebay that I've paid waaaay too much for.

Peace
Martin

Beavis · 12-12-2003, 06:25 PM

Well keep me in mind after the 15th, when I'll be contacting a lot of you folks. LOL

Agent 13 · 12-12-2003, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgm1970
Hiya Agent 13,

You have a panasonic dvd recorder, right? Just to let you know that with the Philips recorder I have, you can record a full 6 hours onto a disc, then go back and separate episodes into separate titles.

Yes, I have a Panasonic DVD recorder. I think it's great, but the fact that I can't easily put in segments is an irritant sometimes. If I had to buy another one with the information I now have, I might very well buy a different brand.

Actually, I feel quite spoiled having the Panasonic machine. Now I don't have to worry about stretching out the slp tapes anymore.

The problem is I can't do it fast enough.

At my son's last count, we have almost 700 videos, embarrasingly enough.

It'll probably take me a year to finish them all.

nannyfan · 12-12-2003, 09:20 PM

OH NO!!! I just bought a pioneer dvd recorder today - DVR-310s! Now, I'm wondering if I bought one that will be difficult to work with

It is still sealed in the box because I'm undecided if I am going to keep it. The base exchange had a special buy on them - so they say...I paid $419 for it and then found it online a few minutes ago for $379. It will still be a good deal because I can print out the ad and take it into the bx and they will refund the difference and I still will not pay tax.

Where does everyone buy their dvdr's from? Do you use dvdrw or dvdr's? Is it possible to go back and add menus if you use dvdr's?

Agent 13 · 12-12-2003, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nannyfan
Where does everyone buy their dvdr's from? Do you use dvdrw or dvdr's?

I have the best luck with Princo, and I've gotten great deals from various places. Here's one: http://store.yahoo.com/cdrdvdrmedia/...ank-media.html
My machine only uses DVD-Rs and DVD-Ram.

Quote:

Originally posted by nannyfan
Is it possible to go back and add menus if you use dvdr's?

It depends upon your machine. Perhaps you could open the box and check the manual for some of these specifics. The box can always be resealed.

Jen

12-12-2003, 11:47 AM	#1
nannyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2003 Location: USA Posts: 342	How is it that so many people get away with selling shows on Ebay?? What makes what they are doing on Ebay - which is clearly selling for a profit legal? There are so many and Ebay doesn't appear to end their auctions early...............

12-12-2003, 11:59 AM	#2
dlemond Hey, I know you. Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 03, 2001 Location: New Jersey Posts: 6,751	They do end some early, but word is that ebay is so big it is virtually impossible to get most of them. A lot of people who get caught have their ids banned and they usually just resign under a new name- which is why a bunch have little feedback. Private auction is another method where they hide, where you can't see the product after the auction is done. It is hard to guage these people. Most people who are caught, I believe, are by other ebayers who turn them in- etiher because of a bad transaction, bad quality, being outbid, or just to be a snitch. Those who deal fairly (I have never bought or sold copies on ebay, but have looked countless times for shows) seem to last for a long time. They survive by keeping costs low and the product good (and they have lots of feedback). Buy it Now or a set price also helps keep the wheels in motion for these sellers- most of these are with vcds. Hope that helps.

12-12-2003, 12:12 PM	#3
nannyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2003 Location: USA Posts: 342	Interesting....my experience with buying varies from good to disaster. More times than not, I am disappointed in the quality. Most recently, I purchased a complete set of Rocko's Modern Life for $70.00 plus $10.00 shipping for 6 dvdrs. The picture quality is excellent; however, the guy didn't put menus on the dvds. When I asked him about it after the fact he stated that the other buyers "who asked the question prior to bidding/buying said that menus didn't matter to them". In other words - rather, key words "before bidding/buying". He also stated that all I have to do is "fastforward" to the episode I want to watch. I guess he doesn't know how difficult it is to fastforward and actually stop right at the beginning of the next episode. With every purchase, I learn something new! I have also learned that I will NEVER buy or trade for vhs tapes again. Like I have stated in a previous post, and Agent 13 can attest to this - that it is extremely frustrating to receive a tape that you have to try in every vcr in the house before you find one that will play the tape. I realize that picture quality/sound, etc can be goofed up on dvdr's as well, but - at least the guts won't be broken in them like happens in vhs tapes sometimes.

12-12-2003, 12:47 PM	#4
Agent 13 Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 02, 2003 Location: Good ol' USA Posts: 1,510	I tried to sell one set quite awhile back, and since I didn't relish the idea of ruining my reputation, I never tried again. I personally think that basically the sellers that succeed in selling on eBay are twisting the truth in one way or another or else generally give minimal information. I know that one seller stated on his auction that he required bidders to email him first or else he'd delete their bid. I emailed him, as requested, and sure enough, he was selling TV shows he'd copied from TV. One seller on eBay that I bought a set of TV shows from had a super basic ad which was very evasive in its description, and he specialized in "buy it now" auctions that last three days. I suppose that eBay had a harder time catching up with him. He got along fine until he'd gotten several negative feedbacks stating the truth about his stuff.

12-12-2003, 03:04 PM	#5
nannyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2003 Location: USA Posts: 342	You know what....the Rocko set I purchase was a buy-it-now auction. What amazes me is that the guy has 100% positive feedback...am I the only one who enjoys being able to select which episode I want to watch from a menu??

12-12-2003, 06:03 PM	#7
sgm1970 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 28, 2001 Posts: 125	Hiya Agent 13, You have a panasonic dvd recorder, right? Just to let you know that with the Philips recorder I have, you can record a full 6 hours onto a disc, then go back and separate episodes into separate titles. It takes 2-3 min to do each separation, but, it's a lot easier than "sitting in front of the tv". I sit in front of the tv when editing out commercials from shows and it is extremely time consuming. When I first started putting shows on dvd (like columbo ) I thought, I'll just leave the commercials in. Then I started a series & edited all the commercials out & it was so much fun to watch, that now I edit commercials out of everything. It slows me down, but makes a more enjoyable disc. Anyway, good post Nannyfan, I always wondered how people could sell stuff on ebay & not get a call from the MPAA myself. I'm not brave enough to try it myself, but, yes, I've found some extremely rare things on ebay that I've paid waaaay too much for. Peace Martin

12-12-2003, 06:25 PM	#8
Beavis Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 19, 2003 Location: TVLAND Posts: 725	Well keep me in mind after the 15th, when I'll be contacting a lot of you folks. LOL

12-12-2003, 09:20 PM	#10
nannyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2003 Location: USA Posts: 342	OH NO!!! I just bought a pioneer dvd recorder today - DVR-310s! Now, I'm wondering if I bought one that will be difficult to work with It is still sealed in the box because I'm undecided if I am going to keep it. The base exchange had a special buy on them - so they say...I paid $419 for it and then found it online a few minutes ago for $379. It will still be a good deal because I can print out the ad and take it into the bx and they will refund the difference and I still will not pay tax. Where does everyone buy their dvdr's from? Do you use dvdrw or dvdr's? Is it possible to go back and add menus if you use dvdr's?