11:06 p.m.

[ Ebay Rant ]

I've been using Ebay since December, so while I'm by no means an expert, I do have a feedback rating of 35 (all positive - Yay me!!), and have been a seller as well as a buyer. That means that along the way I've learned some things. My observations are things that fall under the heading of common sense. The DUH factor, if you will.

* When selling something that has been previously owned (that's used car salesman jargon for used), make sure that it is clean. Used is one thing, and no problem whatsoever. Fucking filthy pisses me off.

* Whether or not you smoke is your choice. Please refer to tip #1 if you sell something on Ebay. I lose all interest in an object that arrives in my mailbox smelling like it just came from my ex-husband's house.

I've bought makeup on Ebay and gotten really great prices, but a girl has to be really careful when buying makeup and perfume. Here again we see things that should be self-evident.

* Buyers need to watch for items that have the term "Gently Used" in their description. However gently it may have been used, even if it was just swiped once to test, there is the potential for infection. Do I know who the person was that tested the product I intend to put on my face? NO. Therefore is it reasonable to assume that they might have a bacteria, virus, hell - a fucking cold at the time the little test swipe was made? I think perhaps YES.

What creeps me out majorly is that I see auctions all of the time in which "gently used" makeup sells for a fairly decent price.

Ew - squared!!

Ew again!!

If you're willing to take the chance of getting a viral infection or conjunctivitis from applying makeup to your face or worse - your eyes (do these people even realize how sensitive the area around the eyes is to infection?), that has already been dipped into by persons unknown, let's never again pretend that something I said, either directly or in my journal, was disgusting. You just got the gold medal in disgusting. And stupidly irresponsible - I'll award you the medal in that too.

You deserve it, you infection spreading twit.

* Sellers who sell used beauty products should be barred from selling on Ebay. How can you possibly justify peddling something you've used on your lips, eyes or sponged on the area around your nose? Don't you ever read the warnings in beauty magazines that tell you to not even share makeup (especially eye makeup), with even your best friends? And here you are selling possibly infected product to people you don't even know.

What the freaking hell?!?!

* Sellers who use half of a bottle of expensive perfume then sell the remainder on Ebay for what it cost when it was fresh and unopened - screw you!! You suck. You're charging a ridiculous reserve price for a bottle of grab-bag style bacteria. Perhaps you'd like to include a prefilled syringe so that the buyer can give herself a tetanus shot before dabbing some of your contaminated perfume on her skin.

Here endeth the rant.

Sometimes the nastiness of people and their stupidity overwhelm me to the point of ranting.

Ebay, though I love it, evokes that reaction in me sometimes. L is right when he says it's the world's biggest flea market. You just can't be too careful.