Forks Titan Ebay Issues-BEWARE!

[kantuckid]

I'm an experienced high feedback ebay user. I'm ready to buy Titan's UA USA welded skid steer QA pallet forks for my Kioti tracto FEL.
Lately ebays had a bunch of "sellers" posting ads for Titan's products at bargain basement prices, actually most are too good to be true.
Beware! I placed a watch on many of these pallet forks as I was wanting to buy. I have been waiting for Titan to run a sale on the tiem I need.
I had 17 pallet forks in my ebay watch list. Almost simultaneously Titan decided to do a sale on them. I called ebay, did the wait on hold dance (to talk to a Phillipines based ebay agent) all while I had the forks on sale in my cart on Titan's website. Given that I was going to actually be passing through Titan's Memphis area in only a few days from right now, I wanted to see if the "online only sale" meant my warehouse pick up no longer saved enough money to bother stopping, so I was also waiting on a callback from Titan who can be even harder to talk to than ebay.
Meanwhile, my discussion with ebay led to fact that many Chinese sellers on ebay use USA addresses & identities to sell real goods and also fake stuff, like these Titan ads. I turned in 16 separate Chinese fake sellers to ebay who removed them from the website.
Well guess what, during the ebay "good samaritan call" Titan removed my forks at the sale price from my cart while I was doing the world a favor by reporting scams of Titan's own products. They had ran out of them and my cart was empty.
Titan was probably going to see them on ebay? as they are an ebay store seller and told me they have a 3rd party fraud contractor who looks at such activity.
Now I'm waiting again for a Titan sale plus they don't have that product in stock anyway-sold out of the USA UA version of the pallet forks!
Lots of folks bidding on stuff that doesn't exist. I learned the hard way years ago to watch seller backgorunds and make contact with sellers if fishy stuff is present. None of these ebay sellers ahd decent feedback histories, yet many were bidding anyway, go figure?:thumbdown:

 

[EddieWalker]

Ebay seems to have become more and more risky. I'll glance at what's on there, but can almost always find it cheaper somewhere else. Especially when adding shipping.

 

[kantuckid]

I use ebay as one choice among others. Amazon is often higher or lower. No set answer to best prices IMO.
I have items on CL as we speak and it's a zoo out there but remains the single best place to sell stuff and the bad guys know it.
Ebay has mostly good people selling stuff like the rest of the marketplace. Feedback information is easy to read on ebay. Has always had too many "hobby" bidders who think it's a game to bid. I've sold lots of stuff there and there is NO PLACE! to buy certain parts like ebay in the whole wide world.

 

[TractorGuy]

I have decided to avoid any future Titan purchases. 2 out of 3 purchases have been unsatisfactory, missing and wrong parts, and resulted in difficult, drawn out, returns. Their packing and shipping department has serious issues in my opinion. Both returns required paypal disputes to get a refund.

I never say never. The 36" thumb I bought from Titan was an excellent deal and product. Came fast with all the parts and works well.

I purchased a set of clamp on forks from another seller that look just like the forks sold by Titan. They were not advertised or described to BE Titan. They came fast and were neatly packaged. The seller gave me feedback for immediate payment and I reciprocated with giving them positive feedback. I destroyed them pretty quick on my backhoe loader but that was no fault of the seller or the forks. They were simply not intended for the capacity of the loader I stuck them on so they sit in my garage waiting to be welded up and reinforced.

 

[longjohn79]

I purchased my Titan forks via Amazon from Titan with no issues. Shipping was stupid fast for something that size.

 

[kantuckid]

My post had zero to do with any issue I might have with Titan as a company or their products. It was more so about Ebay scams to watch out for a the cute story as to how i lost me sales deal.
The Titan UA pallet forks- those back plates are made in USA and very similar to the Chinese one they also sell- which have a hay fork spear socket that I don't require.
Amazon purchase of Titan might make them money but just like ebay they're the same price on Titan, ebay or Amazon. Plus those other guys suction part of the profit from Titan for the posting. I try to buy direct form most sellers and ebay knows this all too well as they watch closely for direct contacts that don't give their piece of flesh.
Not much that could go missing on a set of pallet forks and backplate? Three parts to the whole thing, you get it or you don't. My two cents...

 

[MESSMAKER]

I buy less and less on E-Bay each year. I can get most of the same things on Amazon and my history with them is fantastic, when you run into some trouble.

 

[kantuckid]

Amazon is supposed to scrutinize their sellers but based on my experience the efforts not real intensive. I've bought lots of stuff both places-ebay & Amazon- as we are rural and shop online more than we would living in a city. They both have their issues based on my actual experience. I do look for "used" deals on Amazon and have mixed results, mostly OK. Poor pkg from Amazons warehouse has been an issue several times.
I also got jilted there on two of those deals they let sellers run to garner business selling stuff for at or below cost then not delivering after payments been made.
Ebay probably wins scam wise as lots more chance to do it there given most anyone can become a seller and do make believe auctions. The world has plenty of scammers so not any one place is a safe buyer place.
Some folks have reverence for car dealers as a safer place to shop, others like me, call them stealers.
Ebay and Amazon are just not the same kind of place to shop if you are a hands on person like me! The only used stuff on Amazon is a returned item, never a used tool , vehicle part or houseware, etc. .

 

[Texasmark]

I've bought 260 items off ebay in the last 2 years. Only 3 of those were a problem for me. In all 3 cases ebay or the seller made corrections as necessary, in my favor, to get the problem resolved maintaining the 5 star rating of the seller. No complaints. On pricing, yes some sellers buy where you are buying and obviously add fees for their time and effort for those who don't do as you did for whatever reason. Their shipping time is hard to beat. Few suppliers of parts I use on this farm can respond as fast.

The Titan forks you mention, are they made by the Titan Tire Co.? I bought a couple of 33x12.5x16.5 Titan turfs recently and just went to my Titan tire dealer who ordered them, got a great below list price and had them shipped free since he had deliveries from them anyway.

 

[anewuser]

Unfortunately, this doesn't really apply to eBay, but it should be good for Amazon:

A website that scrutinizes reviews and comments on Amazon, and a couple other sites, looks for patterns, certain keywords and language to give a product's reviews a "grade". Fakespot helps pick out those fake reviews created by less-than-reputable reviewers. It'd be great if they'd expand to eBay, but for now they only cover Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor and the Apple App store.

 

[tomplum]

Just looked and there are a pile of the Titan box blades on EBay . Sellers that never ship. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Texasmark]

Unfortunately, this doesn't really apply to eBay, but it should be good for Amazon:

A website that scrutinizes reviews and comments on Amazon, and a couple other sites, looks for patterns, certain keywords and language to give a product's reviews a "grade". Fakespot helps pick out those fake reviews created by less-than-reputable reviewers. It'd be great if they'd expand to eBay, but for now they only cover Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor and the Apple App store.

Great info since customer reviews are getting to be the thing now and I learned that folks are in the business of selling their good review of something they never saw before.....I noticed numerous reviews that looked suspicious...very vague, brief type things.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[kantuckid]

I've bought 260 items off ebay in the last 2 years. Only 3 of those were a problem for me. In all 3 cases ebay or the seller made corrections as necessary, in my favor, to get the problem resolved maintaining the 5 star rating of the seller. No complaints. On pricing, yes some sellers buy where you are buying and obviously add fees for their time and effort for those who don't do as you did for whatever reason. Their shipping time is hard to beat. Few suppliers of parts I use on this farm can respond as fast.

The Titan forks you mention, are they made by the Titan Tire Co.? I bought a couple of 33x12.5x16.5 Titan turfs recently and just went to my Titan tire dealer who ordered them, got a great below list price and had them shipped free since he had deliveries from them anyway.

The "forks" you ask about are not made bny anyone as the ads are listing items that don't exist except as a picture and a few words... Again, the ebay fake ads I mentioned have zero to do with Titan products or the company itself. Just a case of another scammer. I have 900 ebay feedbacks and over the years been scammed a few times but overall I'm a an ebay user not hater!
I know nothing about Titan Tire company?
Amazon has a method for stating which reviews are real and reviews are like most opinions, taken with a dose of reality. These days a car review will often be about the vehicles gizmos, not the actual vehicle. Same for farm stuff-it comes, looks new and shiny and someone says they like how they spent their own money...

 

[DieselBound]

Are you within the 1,000 miles radius of free shipping from Everything Attachments? I have nothing but full confidence in their stuff. Pricing is VERY competitive: they have a box blade that I was considering (found one I liked a little better) and total cost was $1,200 cheaper than a local reseller of that same manufacturer's box blade!

I bought a set of forks at the same time I bought a grapple from them. I think that the forks were even cheaper than what my Kioti dealer had quoted me (as a package deal when I bought my NX).

 

[goeduck]

The Titan forks you mention, are they made by the Titan Tire Co.? .

I don’t believe there is any connection.

 

[Hyrb]

As sellers with over 15000 eBay feedbacks we have seen what the proliferation of Chinese sellers has resulted in. The good news is that if use your CC and pay via Paypal you have 2 levels of defense. Even if eBay doesn't help (which is unlikely) you can go to Paypal for help and next to your Bank.

Using these options you can always get things corrected. One really good thing about eBay over Amazon is that on eBay you can exclude all sellers outside the US or North America in item searches and this helps.

 

[DieselBound]

My favorite two words are: It depends.

Although it was somewhat of a struggle (learning process, and maintaining a level of trust), I once bought stuff directly from a manufacturer in China. They really were great (communications was a bit tough- I applaud anyone who can somehow communicate in English as a second language). This wasn't a low-dollar purchase. I forced them to use Alibaba's system: I wouldn't really rely on it, but I figured it was better than nothing. If I were to transact with this company again I wouldn't feel the need to use a 3rd party.

When the price of something is over $100 I tend to go with a proven entity. Under that then it's like gambling: if you are OK with the possibility of losing that kind of money then it might be worth the risk. If several hundred dollars then it's ONLY a source that I can verify.

Mostly I just go for quality and then to look for a reputable seller who is selling for a fair price. I value my sleep.

 

[kantuckid]

Are you within the 1,000 miles radius of free shipping from Everything Attachments? I have nothing but full confidence in their stuff. Pricing is VERY competitive: they have a box blade that I was considering (found one I liked a little better) and total cost was $1,200 cheaper than a local reseller of that same manufacturer's box blade!

I bought a set of forks at the same time I bought a grapple from them. I think that the forks were even cheaper than what my Kioti dealer had quoted me (as a package deal when I bought my NX).

I'm within 1,000 miles but their (Everything Attachments) pallet fork set is much higher price point than Titan which has free shipping too. I'm waiting for Titan to renew their sale again @ 10% off on tractor pallet forks. I'll choose their USA built "UA" set as USA matters when available. The forks themselves are made in China, it's only the backplate that's welded in USA but still that;s a local job for someone. I am still a bit pissed that my pallet forks disappeared from my cart (they sold out while item was on sale @ 10% off) on Titans website while I was calling ebay to report the stealers who were fronting Titan's products line!
Back to ebay- they do backup sales there where in the past you were more so at the mercy of sellers.
I'll share this story: Years ago I bought a vacuum cleaner off a guy in Louisville,KY. He was doing a scam using pictures lifted off the web to sell non-existent items-vacs & welders. Much like is still common on CL & ebay. The guy was stupid enough to use an actual address in Kentucky (my state). I first called the Louisville police department who basically gave me the finger! Said they get too many complaints like mine to investigate. I tried a USPS complaint as a mail crime, which it was. Filled out lots of forms and wasted my time. They did zero follow up on my situation. Forget that one! The USPS has so many hurdles that you'll die before you get anywhere trying to catch the bad guys, even when you have hard facts!
I had the situation hard and fast yet got nowhere with them. Then I happened to read an article in the Lexington-Herald newspaper about a Louisville police detective who was assigned to internet crime which was a relatively newsworthy thing when this happened about 2001. Certainly not now as the web sales thing has become huge indeed!
I got the guy who just happened to have a case against the same guy whom cheated me on the ebay vacuum cleaner. He said the guy was a fast food manager in Louisville who he could use the extra crime against to increase his chances of a stronger penalty on court day for his case.
Two things came my way from that situation-
1st-Lots of time spent by me trying to make the thief pay!!!
2nd- I was payed restitution through the KY court system by the criminal.
When I called ebay to report this the ebay guy (in Phillipines) said that Chinese criminals use the address of people living in the USA and that persons ebay identity to sell ficticious items making them very hard to catch up with. They basically shut one down then another pops up selling something else. They promptly removed the items I was looking at-pallet forks, yet other stuff came up as mentioned here above.
My Titan contact said they use a 3rd party contractor to combat web crimes that are used against his companies products.
The hug number of Chinese sellers on ebay that are honest value their ability to sell there and will make things right when asked. I often use them for small item purchases that save me money.
Amazon & ebay sellers are often the same seller anyway. I bought a magnetic on/off switch for a shop tool on ebay last week. It came to me via UPS to my back porch while I was in NM on vacation. The envelope said Amazon as did the papers inside. Even the UPS shipment coming message in my email said Amazon shipment. Mattered not overall but I will say that sellers have told me ebay takes a smaller cut from the sale than amazon. Both places charge sellers a % just like a credit card which we as consumers must pay. I often try to make a direct connection to save the seller and myself that fee. even if the price is the same I like that I've helped their margin.

 

[Snobdds]

The problem is ebay, not titan.

Like the old saying goes...A cheap problem is more expansive than a pricey guarantee.

It's too expensive to be cheap, order from a known guarantee and be done with it.

 

[kantuckid]

THE! problem is crooks, not selling venues.