Question about those eBay magazine auctions...

[Rogue588]

I need to get another subscription to Entertainment Weekly.

However, since these never show up in the "Free Magazine" thread (I was going to post this in there), I realize i'm going to have to pay for it and I remember reading on here that some people have gone this route and am wondering how dependable/reliable it is.

[dablueguy]

Can't speak for everyone but a co-worker uses this method for all of his magazine subscriptions with no problems. I'm sure the same precautions apply though as far as checking feedback, etc...

[paulringodaman]

I have had no problems at all -- Stuff, Maxim, Rolling Stone, etc. What's funny is some sellers either take your address and sign you up OR give you the link to sign yourself up. For the latter -- you can sign up as many times as you want -- you have the link!!! (On a rolling stone subscription, I signed up myself twice and 8 of my friends)!!!

[Rogue588]

Well, yeah, Stuff, Maxim and RS appear in the Free Mag threads a lot of times, however, i've never seen EW or TV Guide in 'em..

[amd555]

any one have a link for RS subscription. I have never seen it for free. Please post one if you know

[Trevor]

Most of my magazines come from the free threads, but I have used ebay a few times. No problems, and almost always the cheapest for the non-free ones.

[paulringodaman]

i paid for those years before they were free....my honest opnion is that you shouldnt be scared to do this

[Case01]

The only downside is your info usually gets mangled and makes the rounds with spammers and such. I doubt it will be that bad though. I think this mainly applies to free subs.

[SpaceBoy]

I personally have purchased 5 different subscriptions from one ebay user: subscriptions4less

I had no problems at all, and receive all my magazines with 1-2 months after sending him my information. You simply give name, address, auction number etc. when you make payment then you sit back and relax.

I haven't noticed an increase in junk/spam either and can't complain great prices for multi-year subscriptions.

[Enkidu]

I have been looking for a cheap Dragon or Dungeon magazine subscription for a while. None of the online magazine places seem to have it as an option. Anyone know of a way to get one cheap ? I even looked on ebay, but they are all selling older copies of the magazine and not a subscription.

[Mordred]

I bought a subscription to Guitar World off eBay a few years ago for $7. The guy threw in 4 year subs to Maxim and Stuff which was a nice bonus.

[namja]

I've had no problems with magazines off of ebay. There were many that seemed too good to be true, but so far, I've gotten all the magazines that I subscribed to, many at over 90% off.

[tbwmp88]

I was skeptical at first but decided to order 2 after checking feedback and getting opinions from others. I received both of them. Wanted ESPN Insider for awhile now, so i'll get ESPN today.

[josepotato]

You should be cautious buying from magazine sellers on eBay, in the last few months I have twice not received a subscription I purchased because of hijackers. They steal legitimate sellers accounts and then throw up a bunch of bogus magazine subscriptions usually a few bucks lower than the normal going price. The listings say there will be a month or so wait before your subscription starts and by the time anyone realizes its not coming and starts posting negative feedback it's too late to file a claim with paypal (they only give you 45 days).

Here's a few suggestions:
-Buy from well established magazine sellers
-Check the sellers feedback for customers that have actually received magazine subscriptions (watch out for sellers who have never sold subscriptions in the past and suddenly have a bunch of new listings).
-Ask the seller a question about the listing, if you don't get a response don't buy!

[big whoppa]

I've bought a few subscriptions off of ebay. Never had a problem there though I've heard stories like the one above. Worst case, you lose a few bucks. Subs aren't generally that expensive on ebay.

[Chew]

About 2 months ago, I renewed my EW sub for 2 years for $36. Typically, they say it takes 60-90 days to see your sub start or renew. The seller had a huge number of reviews, at least 99% positive.

Last week, I got an email stating the seller had been suspended and all the auctions were pulled. I can't even access the link to my completed auction. I'm hoping this isn't the scenario as described above.

Considering they always claim the order is submitted to the magazine immediately, I'm hoping it still works out. But, I have anywhere from 1-5 weeks to find out.

Update to follow. :) (or maybe :( )

[nevermind]

I think we ran into the same seller, Chew. 99% positive, etc...

First time I ever ordered a magazine was in January. Ebay sent me a email telling me the user has been suspended for ripping people off, and to file a claim with Paypal within 45 days of payment date.

Of course, ebay sent this on day 52 -ohbfrank-.

I emailed Paypal telling them this and they replied with a canned message stating all the things I had in my email. My email regarding a claim for being ripped off was probably never read by a human. Thanks for nothing, you incompetent pricks. It makes me really want to use them for everything now!

If only ebay and Paypal were owned by the same company and could get their shit together when it came to things like this. Fucking assholes.

Thankfully it was only $7.

[Officer Cartman]

chew & nevermind: Same thing happened to us - Wonder if we bought from the same seller.. Sucks that it's outside of the claim period for eBay and PayPal. The seller had over 2000 positive feedbacks, so I thought nothing of it, and bought about $20 worth of subs.

Got the notice from eBay's Trust & Protection division last week, and hit a dead-end there.

[bigjim25]

chew, nevermind, O Cartman: Count me in. I ordered from cheapest-magzz and got the notice 10 days late.

[Chew]

In fact, I think that's the name too.

I wonder how many complaints Paypal needs to receive to address these types of situations?

[Rogue588]

I wonder how many complaints Paypal needs to receive to address these types of situations?Well, they're about to get one more :mad: :mad: :mad:

[KFelon]

I placed an order back in January with one of those sellers on ebay selling "discounted" subscriptions. In the past 2 weeks the sellers name changed to "I got hacked" & every auction they had in the past 3 months closed, as well as ebay sent out notices to all buyers. I issued a claim to PayPal for a refund & they closed my case within a day & didn't even issue a refund of any sort.

I only spent $6, but I'd never had a problem in the past with any mag sub sellers or even this one when I had previously ordered. Anycase, I'll just stick to free subscription sites or the actual magazine from here on out.

[nevermind]

yup - cheapest-magzz

I'm tempted to let Paypal know that if the parent company eBay cannot notify its customers in a timely matter (or extend the 45 day period in these cases), then maybe I'll just never use them again. Again, it's only $7, but what if it was a lot more? They just proved to me they don't "protect" anything.

That information alone is worth $7 IMO.

[nevermind]

KFelon - same seller I'm sure.

[josepotato]

My recent one was cheapest-magzz too, if they got this many people on this message board just think how many others got scammed.

[Chew]

We all got hit by the same seller. What are people doing? Opening up a dispute even though it's beyond Paypal's 45 days?

I'm still within the supposed auction 60-90 day timeframe, maybe it's possible the renewal went through?

[nevermind]

We all got hit by the same seller. What are people doing? Opening up a dispute even though it's beyond Paypal's 45 days?

I'm still within the supposed auction 60-90 day timeframe, maybe it's possible the renewal went through?
You can't get a dispute opened if it' is after 45 days. An email to Paypal stating this problem, since the email from ebay came on day 52, proved useless.

[Chew]

In other words, the perfect scam to make a lot of money is to "sell" magazines. :(

[nevermind]

As long as ebay/Paypal keeps the 45 day limit in effect - yup.

[Rogue588]

We all got hit by the same seller. What are people doing? Opening up a dispute even though it's beyond Paypal's 45 days?

I'm still within the supposed auction 60-90 day timeframe, maybe it's possible the renewal went through?Well, I didn't win my auction until March 1st, so I just opened up a dispute with PayPal.

Actually, I told them it wasn't a dispute - the seller was banned, the auction listing (which was far from 90 days old) was pulled and listed as an "invalid item" and there were others who fell for this scam - so I wanted my money refunded.

[Trevor]

In other words, the perfect scam to make a lot of money is to "sell" magazines. :(

Well, normally, high feedback accounts don't get jacked.

So I still say that ebay is the best way to get magazines (besides the free ones of course).

[Patman]

So, am I safe if I go with "paylessmagazines" for a EW renewal? Y'all are scaring me!

[Chew]

Well, normally, high feedback accounts don't get jacked.

So I still say that ebay is the best way to get magazines (besides the free ones of course).

And yet, this seller had over 6000 feedbacks with a 98% or 99% positive and we all lost our money. Exactly who can you trust anymore? :(

[Trevor]

And yet, this seller had over 6000 feedbacks with a 98% or 99% positive and we all lost our money. Exactly who can you trust anymore? :(

Yeah, but wasn't it just one seller whose account got hijacked?

Nothing is a sure thing, but here are a couple of tips when buying mags on ebay (or anything online for that matter).

1 - Even though they say it may take 8 or more weeks to get your first issue, you can verify the sub much faster than that. Magazine resellers "buy" the subscription for you and transmit your info to the publisher. You will show up on the publisher's subscriber list as soon as they do that, but it may take a cycle or three of issues before you get the first issue. Just call the publisher if you haven't received an issue in a month, and make sure that they have your info.

2 - Always use a credit card to buy anything online.

[Chew]

^ Thanks for that. I actually completely forgot I linked this particular auction payment to my credit card instead of my bank account (which I normally do).

I just submitted a charge dispute. :)

[KFelon]

I had previously bought a 2 year "PC Magazine" subscription from this seller at least a year ago so I know he was legit at one point. I'm actually still getting that subscription.

If you have to wait 8 weeks though that does throw you out of the 45 days to dispute, as stated already.

[Trevor]

If you have to wait 8 weeks though that does throw you out of the 45 days to dispute, as stated already.

But you don't have to wait 8 weeks.

Sure, it might be 8 or more weeks before you get your first issue. But in much less than 8 weeks you should be able to call the publisher and see that your order was placed.

These magazine resellers, ebay and otherwise, should have your order put in the system within a week or three of you paying. It just takes 8-12 weeks to get the first issue sometimes.

I would wait 30 or so days max, and call the publisher. If my order is not in their system as paid for, I'd start the ebay/paypal/credit card dispute.

[Rogue588]

Just got this from PayPal:Dear Rogue588,

We have concluded our investigation into your case and have decided in your favor.

We were able to recover $36.95 USD and this amount has been credited to you. Please allow five business days for this adjustment to be posted.

If you are due any additional funds, we will make our best effort to recover the balance from the seller.

If the seller's account has insufficient funds to complete the refund owed to you, please be assured that we will take appropriate action against the seller's account, which may include limitation of the seller's account privileges.That last part bothers me. If this outfit's eBay account has been "hacked" like it's been surmised, does that mean i'm caught out since the "seller's" account will most assuredly have insufficient funds?

[Chew]

^ Thanks for that. I actually completely forgot I linked this particular auction payment to my credit card instead of my bank account (which I normally do).

I just submitted a charge dispute. :)

There's a credit for the amount now appearing on my account, along with a finance charge credit. :D

But, is this "we're checking into it and as a good faith gesture will credit the amount...temporarily" or "we agree with your dispute, here's your money back".

I have received no paperwork or communication from them.

[Lemondrop]

I charged back a car I bought using my credit card on paypal for $2800 .
The car was cut in half and welded togther , started behind the front deats and included the entire rear clip and roof from another car .
When I bought the car the guy knew of "no accidents" and carfax showed a minor accident .
My CC company did not care , I returned the car to the seller and my CC refunded the money . I contaqcted Paypal to start and they told me to file a dispute online . I did and within 15 minutes they shot down the dispute and told me to go F off in short order .
I picked up my phone and called my CC company and they shortly told Paypal to F off .
I got my $$ back , so small CC charges should be very easy .
Paypal/Ebay will only stop this crap when they lose enough money to chargebacks .
Soon , they will require you to maintain a balance in your paypal account to cover them (like they have , a "cash" account with visa/mastercard/whomever) .
It's hard to keep it all clean when trading online but ebay/paypal have been notorious for not giving a sheet when you get the shaft .

[Officer Cartman]

Just got this from PayPal:That last part bothers me. If this outfit's eBay account has been "hacked" like it's been surmised, does that mean i'm caught out since the "seller's" account will most assuredly have insufficient funds?

How did you file your claim with PayPal to get this result? I got shot down within 2 days of filing my claim. :(

[bigjim25]

I got denied but after calling up paypal and telling them I was in the hospital (which I was) and unable to file claim on time and that this is the second time I've got scammed, that I guess I will quit using paypal to pay for ebay auctions. The guy said he'd make a one time exception and credit my account back the $15.10 and it should be there within 24 hours. 10 minutes later I checked and it was there.:up:
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/740/droopyui8.jpg

[Rogue588]

How did you file your claim with PayPal to get this result? I got shot down within 2 days of filing my claim. :(:shrug: I didn't do anything special, just followed the links. I don't remember my exact wording, but I told them this was a refund NOT a dispute. I also told them that if they needed proof that I was SOL to check eBay since they banned this person and made my auction an invalid item.

[chowderhead]

I charged back a car I bought using my credit card on paypal for $2800 .
The car was cut in half and welded togther , started behind the front deats and included the entire rear clip and roof from another car .
When I bought the car the guy knew of "no accidents" and carfax showed a minor accident .
My CC company did not care , I returned the car to the seller and my CC refunded the money . I contaqcted Paypal to start and they told me to file a dispute online . I did and within 15 minutes they shot down the dispute and told me to go F off in short order .
I picked up my phone and called my CC company and they shortly told Paypal to F off .
I got my $$ back , so small CC charges should be very easy .
Paypal/Ebay will only stop this crap when they lose enough money to chargebacks .
Soon , they will require you to maintain a balance in your paypal account to cover them (like they have , a "cash" account with visa/mastercard/whomever) .
It's hard to keep it all clean when trading online but ebay/paypal have been notorious for not giving a sheet when you get the shaft .

I think you are supposed to go through paypal first. If you bypass them first and go directly to your CC, they will not deal with you. Pay with a CC. Dispute with Paypal first, then if you don't get your money back, dispute with your CC. Be prepared to lose your paypal account though if you do a chargeback with a CC.

[ChiTownAbs, Inc]

I charged back a car I bought using my credit card on paypal for $2800 .
The car was cut in half and welded togther , started behind the front deats and included the entire rear clip and roof from another car .
When I bought the car the guy knew of "no accidents" and carfax showed a minor accident .
My CC company did not care , I returned the car to the seller and my CC refunded the money . I contaqcted Paypal to start and they told me to file a dispute online . I did and within 15 minutes they shot down the dispute and told me to go F off in short order .
I picked up my phone and called my CC company and they shortly told Paypal to F off .
I got my $$ back , so small CC charges should be very easy .
Paypal/Ebay will only stop this crap when they lose enough money to chargebacks .
Soon , they will require you to maintain a balance in your paypal account to cover them (like they have , a "cash" account with visa/mastercard/whomever) .
It's hard to keep it all clean when trading online but ebay/paypal have been notorious for not giving a sheet when you get the shaft .

:eek:

[pmoney316]

can anyone tell me if wholesalesubscriptions.com is a good site to order from.