Would we be able to see it weep?

For yours, there is a heart outline up at the top of the page which leads to:

https://join-lemmy.org/donate

Stephen Miller perchance?

Well, that rule has been mostly tongue in cheek as you are probably aware, but perhaps Usenet will once again become useful to more folks. I have never veered away from it since I discovered it in the late 90’s. I suppose that makes me a part of the ES group? I’m quite glad to have discovered it. You do now have to pay to use it, but the cost is mild and the tools are all modernized with plenty of web front-ends out there.

Edited: Booboos

Gotcha. I’ve been on eBay for 20 years so I thought I was pretty savvy.

The power seller being able to remove negative feedback was new to me six months ago. Like you I’ve had mostly good sales happen. Been scammed on pc keyboards for $80 or something. Not a huge deal, but last year I ordered a car mirror from a seller in Las Vegas. The seller switched a damaged mirror for the one in the photos. That was the first issue and I should’ve just sent it back, but I had extra glass and thought I could make it work. I asked for a partial refund (which is a good way to satisfy both parties), but the seller said send it back. He took two weeks to ship and I returned it the very next day. No refund for two weeks and most of my correspondence were ignored unless I threatened to go to eBay. Then they contacted me outside of eBay by texting my phone. I ignored it and finally opened a dispute. eBay reviewed it and gave me my money back right away. I negged the seller and since I got my refund, they were able to request that eBay remove the negative feedback. Power sellers have that ability. I really felt others should know about them so I’ll call them out here. Andre’s performance in Las Vegas is best avoided.

I don’t see the relevance of this question. I’ve given up on amazon as their entire system is garbage, but alternatives like eBay have issues too. One of them being my caution above.

I used to look for 97-100% feedback sellers. Now I look for 99-100% and I also paw through the feedback to give myself the best shot at finding a good seller. And as you’ve mentioned, if you can find the mom/pop shop with solid feedback you should be okay.

Be cautious with fleaBay. Power sellers can remove negative feedback, so feedback ratings can be skewed!

It’s been two years for me and I don’t miss them. I have had good success going direct to the manufacturer. And if the manufacturer doesn’t sell direct, they list alternatives to Amazon.

And honestly, I go without things too. Amazon having everything available makes it too easy to buy random crap. I don’t need to have every bit and bob which makes my impulse buying generally a thing of the past.

What’s the first rule of Usenet? 😬

Yes, but you won’t like it at all.

[heaves the body overboard]