[freudling]

Maybe I am alone in this, but today I decided to do something about my annoyance with sellers on Ebay calling something "mint" when in fact in reality it is nothing like mint. I remember Ebay in the 90s... it was not that bad... sure, there was fraud, but sellers seemed to use the term mint correctly. Now, it seems that everything is mint or the laughable "near mint". I also love the "great condition".

I always ask now to give it a rating out of 10 cosmetically, but I still don't trust them unless supported by pics in high res.

So, I came across yet another Ebay listing for a PowerBook G3 and noticed that, while the seller had MINT CONDITION in bold in the title, the pics said something else, as did his statement that it was used daily for over 4 years... so I emailed him the following:

I emailed you because this is an endemic problem with Ebay... I had an account with Ebay in the 90s... "mint" was actually used correctly back then... now it is abused so sellers can hawk their stuff more easily. When buying site unseen, misusing the term is damaging. Mint = in pristine condition; as new. "As new" meaning it was hardly ever used... hardly ever touched... it looks like NEW. Your computer has been well used for years... unless you kept it in a glass box and used an external keyboard, I fail to see how it meets the definition of mint.

An analogy: you sell an antique table to someone on Ebay and say it is mint. The buyer pays for it such that he expects it to be in this condition. It is received showing signs of wear... some of the tarnish is rubbed off... there are some scratches... thus, it was falsely advertised in that it should not have been stated that it was mint, affording itself a mint price.

If I bought your computer, I would expect, from your claiming it is mint: NO keyboard gloss, NO trackpad gloss, bright screen no marks, virtually no marks on any part of the casing... etc. If you can tell me that your computer looks like this, then it is mint.

Note: the seller is asking a premium price.

[imitchellg5]

I know what you're saying. It seems like the term is over used a lot. I've only used it once when selling an iPod that was truly mint. It was my friend's 4G iPod that was rarely ever even handled, he kept it in his glovebox in a case and controlled it through his Alpine head unit. I never use it for anything that looks like it might have actually been used. I wish that sellers wouldn't use the term so freely.

[lexapro]

You need some of me

[freudling]

Here is the guys response:

HA HA HA!!! You can rant and rage all you want, but Ebay will not remove this auction. If I sold the computer to you, and it only had a 10GB Hard Drive, THAT would be false advertising. Using words like 'mint' to describe your auction is not against any Ebay policy. ALSO I clearly say that it is used AND tell you how long I've used it! If I stated in my listing that it's sat in a box for 5 years and has never been used, when all along I've used it for 5 years, then ya that would be false advertising. I'm not trying to sell it as if it were 'new'. I'm not hiding anything from the buyer. Also, I never told you if it did or did did not meet your criteria, hence I've never lied to you. And at this point, I'm not going to play your game. My feedback score is evidence enough that I am an honest seller, and if you ask anyone who bought a computer from me, they would tell you it was exactly as described. I'm sorry that you feel so strongly about this 'epidemic problem' of people using the word 'mint', but at no point in my listing do I describe the computer as you have ie. 'no keyboard gloss, no trackpad gloss, no marks on screen' if you point out any point where I make these claims, then fine, but you will not find them, because I didn't describe the computer as such. If you feel this strongly about people misusing the word 'mint', the post in the Ebay forums about it and try to get someone from Ebay to do something about it. Good Luck!

The problem that he obviously does not understand is that saying that something is mint is misleading, and that per sey can be false advertising. Moreover, saying that something is mint means that it can carry with it a premium price. If you think you are buying something mint, and pay top dollar, and then it arrives well used, the seller has been dishonest and netted himself more money than the fair market value. As such, misusing the term is simply a way for a seller to obtain a higher price for his product.

[freudling]

On another really funny note, I met a guy asking $330 for a PowerBook Pismo from Craigslist. He said it was mint and that the screen and keyboard were new. When I saw it it was a beaten piece of garbage... The hinge barely held up the screen and you could tell that the screen was on its last leg. The keyboard and trackpad were totally glossed over. I was trying to understand what "new" or "mint" he was referring to. Obviously, on a marketplace over the internet like Ebay where you can't really see what you are buying, using these terms is doubly more problematic for the buyer.

Maybe I should make a suggestion to Ebay... like, a rating system for all used computers, even like 5 or 6 variables... for instance, making the seller rate each variable out of 10, like:

keyboard wear: 9/10
trackpad wear: 9/10
casing condition: 9/10
screen condition: 10/10
operating condition: 10/10
TOTAL: 47/50

In this example, anything 47 or above is mint, so the 47/50 will allow a seller to use the keyword "mint" in his auction.

[turtle777]

F**K eBay.

Who still takes this scum hole serious ?

-t

[Eug]

Pictures are always the best. If they're not willing to post reasonable pictures, then something is amiss.

Anyways, I still regularly shop on eBhey. It's best for small hard-to-get items that can be shipped cheaply.

[introducingimacs]

I love Pismo's but most of them have the keyboard pressed into the screen and glossy trackpad / wristrest (and a battery you can't charge). Not to forget the loose screen...

Question out of curiosity : How much would you be willing to pay for a mint Pismo?

[Eug]

Originally Posted by introducingimacs 

Question out of curiosity : How much would you be willing to pay for a mint Pismo?

Maybe $100.

[macdude]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

F**K eBay.

Who still takes this scum hole serious ?

-t

eBay is great for some things. You just have to know what to avoid, which can sometimes be difficult.