Another Bad Experience With Adorama?

Guy Dagar · Oct 8, 2019

Have you ordered something from Adorama on eBay only to have the order canceled the next day? Any other bad experiences with Adorama?

I ordered several items yesterday, paid for with PayPal only to have the orders canceled today. Reason given, they claim I canceled the order which was not true as I need the items I ordered. I checked Adorama's feedback and they have done that to other buyers, not giving any explanation except say the buyer canceled and the buyers claimed they didn't. They've had 62 negative feedbacks so far this year. And they will soon have one more.

I've had it with Adorama. I've had a number of bad experiences with them ordering directly from Adorama—they are disreputable and I highly recommend buying from B&H, Crutchfield or Amazon over Adorama.

Charles2 · Oct 8, 2019

The underlying problem is that Adorama and other stores list inventory both on their own website and on eBay. Occasionally someone buys an item off the store website just after someone like you bought it via the eBay website. The store favors the own-website order because the margin is higher. You be the judge of the ethics of it -- whether or not the store admits what it does or makes up a story.

When a big store has an eBay website and you find something you like there, check the store's own website, perhaps divided into New and Used sections.

Schrodingers_cat · Oct 8, 2019

Charles2 said:
When a big store has an eBay website and you find something you like there, check the store's own website, perhaps divided into New and Used sections.

I find this a particularly useful technique when I buy from Roberts. They almost always have the same item listed at a price that reflects their not having to pay the eBay fees.

I have not had this happen when purchasing from KEH, I suspect they have the inventory separated.

Bob · Oct 8, 2019

I've had this same issue with other online retailers, but only when I use PayPal. PayPal says "order pending confirmation by merchant". The merchant says "payment pending from PayPal".

They're pointing fingers at each other.

LoneTree1 · Oct 8, 2019

Bob said:
I've had this same issue with other online retailers, but only when I use PayPal. PayPal says "order pending confirmation by merchant". The merchant says "payment pending from PayPal".

They're pointing fingers at each other.

I've only had that (from payments from people) where there is some kind of credit-security issue.

Guy Dagar · Oct 8, 2019

Bob said:
I've had this same issue with other online retailers, but only when I use PayPal. PayPal says "order pending confirmation by merchant". The merchant says "payment pending from PayPal".

They're pointing fingers at each other.

No, PayPal payment was confirmed and nearly 24 hours passed. Then I got the notice from eBay that the seller cancelled the order and refunded the payment, with reason given as "buyer requested cancelation." What bothers me is that Adorama basically lied about why the order was canceled and their feedback indicated they have done it a few times in the past year. There's just a bit too much dishonesty these days and I won't tolerate it.

Chaplain Mark · Oct 8, 2019

I'm at a loss to understand why one would purchase from a major online retailer such as Adorama, via Ebay.

Not meant to be an inflammatory statement, but it seems to me buying from Ebay in such a manner makes the whole transaction more complex than it needs to be.

Nancy Miller · Oct 8, 2019

GuyDagar said:
Have you ordered something from Adorama on eBay only to have the order canceled the next day? Any other bad experiences with Adorama?

I ordered several items yesterday, paid for with PayPal only to have the orders canceled today. Reason given, they claim I canceled the order which was not true as I need the items I ordered. I checked Adorama's feedback and they have done that to other buyers, not giving any explanation except say the buyer canceled and the buyers claimed they didn't. They've had 62 negative feedbacks so far this year. And they will soon have one more.

I've had it with Adorama. I've had a number of bad experiences with them ordering directly from Adorama—they are disreputable and I highly recommend buying from B&H, Crutchfield or Amazon over Adorama.

I'm so sorry to see this. Can you please email me: [email protected] with your order number so I can review what happened to your order?

Alex Ethridge · Oct 8, 2019

Chaplain Mark said:
I'm at a loss to understand why one would purchase from a major online retailer such as Adorama, via Ebay.

Not meant to be an inflammatory statement, but it seems to me buying from Ebay in such a manner makes the whole transaction more complex than it needs to be.

I do it a lot and I don't understand why you think it more complicated. On my end, it certainly isn't and I get added protections.

Chaplain Mark · Oct 8, 2019

Alex Ethridge said:
Chaplain Mark said:

I'm at a loss to understand why one would purchase from a major online retailer such as Adorama, via Ebay.

Not meant to be an inflammatory statement, but it seems to me buying from Ebay in such a manner makes the whole transaction more complex than it needs to be.

Click to expand...

I do it a lot and I don't understand why you think it more complicated. On my end, it certainly isn't and I get added protections.

What added protections does ebay offer, over buying directly from Adorama?

Ebay seems like a minefield, by all the reports of scammers waiting like highwaymen by the side of the road.

Why put one's self in a vulnerable position on ebay instead of buying directly and securely from Adorama?

Alex Ethridge · Oct 8, 2019

Chaplain Mark said:
Alex Ethridge said:

Chaplain Mark said:

I'm at a loss to understand why one would purchase from a major online retailer such as Adorama, via Ebay.

Not meant to be an inflammatory statement, but it seems to me buying from Ebay in such a manner makes the whole transaction more complex than it needs to be.

Click to expand...

I do it a lot and I don't understand why you think it more complicated. On my end, it certainly isn't and I get added protections.

Click to expand...

What added protections does ebay offer, over buying directly from Adorama?

Ebay is always buyer-centric in all disputes. I've been so burned badly and ridiculously as a seller on ebay that ebay is a buy-only place for me. People have bought things from me, broke them and returned them to me. I had video proof one item was packed unbroken by a UPS store employee and affidavit from same as to its condition. Still, I was burned. There were other less severe incidents.

So with that kind of buyer-centric protection, I will remain an e-bay buyer.

Chaplain Mark said:
Ebay seems like a minefield, by all the reports of scammers waiting like highwaymen by the side of the road.

If one uses common sense in selecting a seller, the risk is near zero of having a problem.

Chaplain Mark said:
Why put one's self in a vulnerable position on ebay instead of buying directly and securely from Adorama?

See above.

I'm not arguing Adorama is safer or less cumbersome, just that ebay is just as safe if not safer. Also, since I am already familiar with ebay's processes, it goes more quickly for me than navigating a less familiar site.

Those are my idiosyncratic thoughts. Others are allowed to seek my permission to have their own. ;-)

jjdp · Oct 8, 2019

They clearly need better coordination between website & ebay. But I wouldn't leave negative feedback. You got a full refund. It's happened to me occasionally on amazon.

sapon · Oct 8, 2019

Your decision is writing.

Guy Dagar · Oct 9, 2019

Chaplain Mark said:
I'm at a loss to understand why one would purchase from a major online retailer such as Adorama, via Ebay.

Not meant to be an inflammatory statement, but it seems to me buying from Ebay in such a manner makes the whole transaction more complex than it needs to be.

I won't go into all the pros and cons of eBay—I've never been a big fan nor a defender of eBay, but I happen to have PayPal Credit Account that offers zero interest deals with a high credit limit so it's one big advantage and a reason to occasionally buy from eBay and other retailers that accept PayPal. The items I was buying weren't available to ship in time for a trip I'm taking, thus I turned to eBay. As for PayPal it used to be hated by people everywhere, but these days they've proven their worth as far as ease, convenience and security.

Aside from that I've also been a big seller on eBay in the past (for high end time pieces and occasionally camera gear). Plus, there are many things on eBay you cannot always get anywhere else without a lot of searching, like a beautiful like new Nikkor 135mm AI-S lens for $190 that I bought yesterday.

But the point of this thread was not seeking a critique nor even comment about eBay—it's been around for more than 20 years and we all know about it and we all have our opinions about it, and like every other marketplace it is far from perfect and there is certainly much to criticize. I prefer buying from B&H or Amazon over eBay.

Guy Dagar · Oct 9, 2019

jjdp said:
They clearly need better coordination between website & ebay. But I wouldn't leave negative feedback. You got a full refund. It's happened to me occasionally on amazon.

Really? Well, here's the thing: if I put an item for sale on eBay and the same item on Amazon and someone buys it on both at about the same time and I have to cancel the eBay sale I would get a negative feedback. It's a terrible inconvenience for the buyer and i wouldn't do that. Furthermore, I wasn't really notified about the cancellation until the next day which then made it too late to order what I needed and get it shipped to me in time. And then Adorama tells eBay, against eBay rules, that I requested cancellation and I did not. There's something a little sleazy about that.

pcrc11 · Oct 9, 2019

GuyDagar said:
jjdp said:

They clearly need better coordination between website & ebay. But I wouldn't leave negative feedback. You got a full refund. It's happened to me occasionally on amazon.

Click to expand...

Really? Well, here's the thing: if I put an item for sale on eBay and the same item on Amazon and someone buys it on both at about the same time and I have to cancel the eBay sale I would get a negative feedback. It's a terrible inconvenience for the buyer and i wouldn't do that. Furthermore, I wasn't really notified about the cancellation until the next day which then made it too late to order what I needed and get it shipped to me in time. And then Adorama tells eBay, against eBay rules, that I requested cancellation and I did not. There's something a little sleazy about that.

When a seller cancels a transaction on ebay they must choose the reason for the cancellation. You basically have 2 choices. First is "buyer request cancel" or problem with address. Second is "out of stock". Ebay does not want sellers selling items and then cancelling the sale because they ran out of stock and if it happens enough times a seller will have to pay higher selling fees as a punishment in order to stop doing it. The fact that Adorama has a clear history of this and is clearly avoiding it by claiming the buyer asked to cancel the transaction goes a long way in my opinion of showing they have some shady business practices going on. I can understand running out of stock and not updating your ebay listing to reflect that, it happens, As a full time ebay reseller, that follows the rules and runs my ebay store to the letter, I have a huge problem with them consistently gaming the system and once again putting the perception out there that buying on ebay is a hassle. It makes the rest of us look bad

Jonsi · Oct 9, 2019

Chaplain Mark said:
What added protections does ebay offer, over buying directly from Adorama?

Deal directly with a retailer and its your word against theirs.

Deal through eBay and they arbitrate the matter, and most often side with the buyer.

If eBay doesn't see an issue (or in my case, claims It was too late), then PayPal steps in as the arbiter.

2 levels of protection vs. none.

Both eBay and PayPal have saved me money in a few cases of scam or bad/misrepresented product. But that's for a different thread.

Ring A · Oct 9, 2019

Chaplain Mark said:
Alex Ethridge said:

Chaplain Mark said:

I'm at a loss to understand why one would purchase from a major online retailer such as Adorama, via Ebay.

Not meant to be an inflammatory statement, but it seems to me buying from Ebay in such a manner makes the whole transaction more complex than it needs to be.

Click to expand...

I do it a lot and I don't understand why you think it more complicated. On my end, it certainly isn't and I get added protections.

Click to expand...

What added protections does ebay offer, over buying directly from Adorama?

Ebay seems like a minefield, by all the reports of scammers waiting like highwaymen by the side of the road.

Why put one's self in a vulnerable position on ebay instead of buying directly and securely from Adorama?

What, did I read this right? Directly and securely from Adorama?

Didn't the op just make this purchase from Adorama?

Ring A · Oct 9, 2019

pcrc11 said:
GuyDagar said:

jjdp said:

They clearly need better coordination between website & ebay. But I wouldn't leave negative feedback. You got a full refund. It's happened to me occasionally on amazon.

Click to expand...

Really? Well, here's the thing: if I put an item for sale on eBay and the same item on Amazon and someone buys it on both at about the same time and I have to cancel the eBay sale I would get a negative feedback. It's a terrible inconvenience for the buyer and i wouldn't do that. Furthermore, I wasn't really notified about the cancellation until the next day which then made it too late to order what I needed and get it shipped to me in time. And then Adorama tells eBay, against eBay rules, that I requested cancellation and I did not. There's something a little sleazy about that.

Click to expand...

When a seller cancels a transaction on ebay they must choose the reason for the cancellation. You basically have 2 choices. First is "buyer request cancel" or problem with address. Second is "out of stock". Ebay does not want sellers selling items and then cancelling the sale because they ran out of stock and if it happens enough times a seller will have to pay higher selling fees as a punishment in order to stop doing it. The fact that Adorama has a clear history of this and is clearly avoiding it by claiming the buyer asked to cancel the transaction goes a long way in my opinion of showing they have some shady business practices going on. I can understand running out of stock and not updating your ebay listing to reflect that, it happens, As a full time ebay reseller, that follows the rules and runs my ebay store to the letter, I have a huge problem with them consistently gaming the system and once again putting the perception out there that buying on ebay is a hassle. It makes the rest of us look bad

Adorama has a long history of shady and unethical business practices, some things never change.

Ring A · Oct 9, 2019

GuyDagar said:
Have you ordered something from Adorama on eBay only to have the order canceled the next day? Any other bad experiences with Adorama?

I ordered several items yesterday, paid for with PayPal only to have the orders canceled today. Reason given, they claim I canceled the order which was not true as I need the items I ordered. I checked Adorama's feedback and they have done that to other buyers, not giving any explanation except say the buyer canceled and the buyers claimed they didn't. They've had 62 negative feedbacks so far this year. And they will soon have one more.

I've had it with Adorama. I've had a number of bad experiences with them ordering directly from Adorama—they are disreputable and I highly recommend buying from B&H, Crutchfield or Amazon over Adorama.

I would follow up with eBay to make sure they know that you did not cancel anything. I would be upset if it happened to me.

If Adorama contacted me directly with an explanation I would feel differently but from what you are saying Adorama is still up to their old tricks.

This is where Helen would be jumping in to smooth things over but she's now in the wind, and also a victim of Adorama, Karma maybe!

Another Bad Experience With Adorama?

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