Your experience on BS&T

[guru]

I was just wondering what the general consensus on BS&T is? My experience has been mixed. Some great, upfront sellers who describe accurately and price fairly. Others... If I want a mint or near mint razor I expect to pay for it. Let me say, here, that I don't object to a seller asking a premium price for a really nice razor. But I have had some less than perfect transactions. People asking for that premium price but delivering an average razor. People who are less than forthcoming about a defect, not describing it in the text. I have gotten a bent razor, one with a lazy door and one with a large scratch, in addition paying premium prices for average razors, on this forum. While I have had great buying experiences, too, I have had an equal number that were less than that. You take your chances here as you do on the bay. Is this average? What's your experience?

[The Nid Hog]

I can say that my experiences have been uniformly good. I have bought fragrances, soap, blades and a razor over the past six months and I haven't been disappointed in any way. In addition to that, I have been the recipient of incredibly kind and generous gifts that grew out of B/S/T offers. The forum has been a fantastic experience for me.

[bolocheung]

I have not been around long & only recently have made some purchases. So far have gotten a Mergress which was as described & currently awaiting a krona & a stand (which was a drawn out process due to mis-communication of correct paypal email address). I have made most of my initial purchases on ebay with pretty good success & prices. Bought a few fatboys there & am happy with them in terms of condition/price. It seems to me some of the prices on here are above similar items I've seen sold on ebay. B&B is much more than BST, & I enjoy the many resources that it provides. Comparison shopping & research is important to make the best decision when buying or selling here. You will find deals here, on ebay, at brick & mortar places, on the internet, etc. It takes time & effort though, so sometimes just paying a bit of a premium may be worth it to some.

[theperfectstorm]

I usually buy something once or twice a month, and have for the last 18+ months. Never gotten anything over, say, $40, but I have never had a problem.

[Kazeryu]

In my experience, everything has been just as described. I have on several occasions gotten unexpected 'extras' thrown in, such as blades or small soap samples. Great stuff!

[adonnellyr]

All good.

Of course, I only buy when I feel the reputation of the seller is good (lots of posts and involvement) and when the product has an in depth description and where the pictures are good. I think part of our task, as the buyers, is to choose wisely.

[Antique Hoosier]

Most everything I have bought has been as good or many times BETTER than described. But then I have bought many items from people who I consider online friends so I trust them. Many great deals to be had on the BST...sorry your experiences have been less than you would like. keep plugging away for the bargains...they are featured every day.... and every day I have to watch myself or they are headed to Tampa.

[Emmett]

Uniformly positive, although I'm newish and I've stuck with buying items for use and not for collecting. And not to threadjack, but kudos to everyone I've dealt with! This is a great bunch of people.

[Ohio]

I have bought maybe 6 or 8 items there, and all have been as described and shipped quickly.
But I am an admitted bottom-feeder and can't afford the high-dollar stuff.

On Ebay you can get steals, but risk getting junk.

Either place, watch the descriptions closely, don't buy anything with a crappy picture, and don't assume more than the item tells you. Walk away if it doesn't seem "right".

[rabidpotatochip]

I've had good experiences as a buyer and seller, though I wish more of you guys shipped outside CONUS... You just have to fill out an extra (simple) label and us international folks are willing to pay the difference in shipping. But I'm not going to push that hidden agenda any further right now.

I find it's a lot easier to believe someone is honest when they go into great detail about defects. Even if they go into great detail about how they tried to find them. And remember guys, there's nothing wrong with asking for extra pictures.

[Austin]

Since this forum started, I have only been ripped off once for a bottle of cologne. I should have known better than accepting paypal from a non-confirmed address and one post member. There are sharks everywhere on the web and unfortunately, B&B is no exception.

I caution members to be careful on all transactions. Caveat Emptor and all that business.

[Mr. Igg]

Another "all good", and sometimes better (extras, etc). I don't have tons of transactions to my credit, but those I do have, were good. Based on my experiences, BST will be my first stop when my needs/wants dictate.

[Light Beard]

I agree, the B/S/T, in fact all of Badger and Blade, has to be the most relaxed, open and friendly online community I've ever seen.

Not to be a stickler but, I only spot a item every once and a while as I skim the B/S/T that makes me wonder what the sellers intentions are. IE: the price seems steep as the seller seems to be trying to recoup large portion (basically most) of their original cost on a used perishiable product. Personally, I recall the rules of the B/S/T was to help a fellow out, and not to make a buck?

My other favorite, on occasion a seller trys to pass a fake or an item that more than likely they should have just PIF, or they try resell something they orgianlly got for free.

But most of the time a more experience memeber/moderator jumps in and fixs the problem

...end of rant!

All in all, B&B is the place to be, I enjoy spending time here reading and picking up tips!

-LB

[kingfisher]

I've only bought two things from the B/S/T. One was a Tech that was at least as good as described, was at a fair price, and came with extras (T&H cream samples). Outstanding.

The other was an Omega boar brush that was fairly priced and is a great brush. It also came packed with extras (sample blades).

So, my experience has been beyond positive. :thumbup:

[Gruder]

All in all, B&B is the place to be, I enjoy spending time here reading and picking up tips!

Me too! Flare tips...Red tips...Blue tips...Tan tips...:biggrin:

Seriously, I've never had a problem. Not that it couldn't happen, and there are certainly a few obvious ebay to b/s/t powerflippers I wouldn't mind seeing drawn and quartered, but the good far, far, far outweighs the bad in my estimation. Viva la b/s/t! :thumbup:

[Ru4scuba?]

Used the B/S/T a handful of times to satisfaction. Items exactly as described or better. Haven't been ripped off.

Hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Since we are a microcosm of society, its inevitable that we run into a few turds...

[strat1117]

I have always been at least satisfied and sometimes thrilled with my BST purchases.

I have often thought that it would be nice if there was some sort of feedback system, a la eBay/Audiogon/Amazon, etc., but I have absolutely no idea how difficult it might be to set up such a system.

[SavantStrike]

I've had positive experiences with the b/s/t. Frankly I think it's a heck of a lot better than the bay is PERIOD. Then again I don't do that much buying on the b/s/t since I don't have a lot of purchasing power :lol:.

[Stubborn Dutchman]

I purchased my entire collection of razors (all six of them:biggrin:) here on the BST. Every transaction exceeded my expectations. In one instance the seller shipped the razors BEFORE I got my personal check in the mail. I felt all of the items purchased were conservatively priced. None of the sellers made a killing on what I paid!

What amazes me is how often members go out of their way to PIF stuff to us Newbies! If I got burned on a transaction tomorrow, while being miffed, I'd still have to say I was way ahead of the game.

[Luc]

I think I had a misleaded transaction once or twice (description of the product wasn't accurate). I do not have any complaints about it as I was satisfied anyways. It's a better buy off BST than ebay for sure. At least, less of a gamble!

[Schwert]

100% positive in my limited buying experiece here. Good guys, good descriptions and nice back and forth followup.

[jeffb]

I've had nothing but good luck with all transactions here so far. I had one negative transaction on another board (I believe they are a member here as well) but the issue did get resolved.

[garyg]

Better than the bay for sure, I have had one negative experience but that was resolved.

[joshmpdx]

All my transactions have been outstanding!

i just realized that i've gone through 34 bubble pack envelopes... and those are just packages that ive sent out!

[Stubblefield]

I wish more of you guys shipped outside CONUS... You just have to fill out an extra (simple) label and us international folks are willing to pay the difference in shipping. Well, we get some odd looks when we put "Somewhere Limecat's not pleased about" on the customs form. :biggrin:

I have had universally good transactions on the BST. There was one that did not meet my expectations/description 100%, but other than that it has been great.

I am concerned with what I perceive as an upward creep in prices on vintage Gillettes on the BST, but most sellers seem to have pretty fair prices.

[FlatFork]

I have had nothing but great experiences on the BST. I have bought and sold and have always tried to be fair when selling and I always try to throw extra stuff in, my only down fall is that I've never shipped outside the the US and Canada but I'm going to work on that.

[MoreSaltThanPepper]

Fantabulous so far :biggrin:

[mdunn]

ive made a bunch of purchases (and sales) on the BST

I was burnt ONCE, but that didnt stop me continuing.

So long as the person has been around for a wee while and are contributing then you're safe as far as im concerned.

[ytsejammer]

I've bought more than i've sold...i've traded and given away...every deal I've had has been excellent...I received exactly what I expected and sometimes a little more with every purchase I've made on the BST...I definitely check it first before I look anywhere else for anything...I've never had any problems with any products...the only problem I can think of is that last week I was sick and did not get my money order in the mail when I told the seller I would...but I gave him the courtesy of a PM apologizing for my delay and he was very gentlemanly about it...

I have purchased items or traded items from the following members with no problem at all...

alex2363
ssilcox
maher
books
johncrissman

these are not all that i've done business with, just ones I still have PMs in my inbox from...but just in an effort to submit some 'feedback' in this thread I figured it fitting to name them individually...

[SRock]

100% as a buyer, seller, PIFer and PIF recipient!

[fidjit]

Have only bought 3 things of B/S/T

Fatboy from CTakim - being newer at the time and as my first ( substantial ) BST transaction I treated this a bit like an Ebay auction .
Knew the nick from reading the posts, so knew he wasn't a fly by nighter....... Looked at the pictures and the other things he had sold before. Sent him an email. Really easy transaction especially given it's from USA to Australia. Had me razor within the week. Didn't have to worry if it was brassed or wouldn't open properly or dented or........... Would not hesitate buying from again.

Razor stand from SSilcox - outstanding value and service (in fact I've just order my second ( bigger ) stand )

Puck of MWF from Nav a fellow Australian. Not problems whatsoever.

That being said there's always gonna be a couple of "bad apples" that ruin it for everyone

I think to me the advantage of B/S/T is:
1. You know a lot of the names that sell things here, they're not just some random person off Ebay
2. You can be pretty sure of the description of the goods as I don't think the regulars here want their names "sullied" by mis describing their wares.
3. You know you'll for a reasonable market price. Often you'll see followup posts on a B/S/T saying good price or even too expensive.

The only issue I see is that peoples "standards" differ. Even though the B/S/T has grading guidelines what some people see as not an issue may be an issue to others. YMMV

I would hope that if anyone has an issue they'd try and sort out with the member before publicly airing their laundry ( I know that's how I'd like to do things if I sold something that didn't meet the buyers "standard" )

I'd rather buy off B/S/T for something I really want than take the risk on condition/price from Ebay.

This is definitely a Gentlemen's Club here, not like other forums I frequent.

I've had so many people answer my stupid newbie questions without making me feel stupid and I've had so many people offer to PIF me stuff based on some off hand comment I made.

( That being said I'm not adverse to putting a silly snipe in on something on Ebay )

[thunderball]

I'm in the middle of a bit of an awkward situation stemming from a purchase on the BST...hoping it gets resolved soon though. :confused:

[Pureslab]

I've bought and sold a bunch of items here with mostly great results.

Did get a Merkur 1904 advertised as brand new and unused when it arrived it had some soap scum and bits of beard residue on it - plus it was packed really badly.

So there are a few weasels on here.

A rating system may be a good idea....

[BEAR DEN]

I didn't come to B&B to buy anything. It was to learn about wet shaving and str8 razor shaving. After my first or second post a member PIF me a razor and gave me great advice and on top of it paid all shipping. None of it public, all in PM. I have bought stuff off B/S/T and have been very pleased. I try to make sure I leave feedback on the threads that I have bought from so others can see publically. A recent member has e-mailed me and phoned me to make sure everything is good. More than one member has mailed the item before the paypal was complete.
Are there weasles here...probably, but in the company of such great people they should stand out like sore thumbs and be ashamed. B&B is one of the classier forums that can be found IMHO.

[AFG]

Anything I have bought has gone smoothly. I have not sold many items but tried to give honest descriptions, ship quickly and so far have not had anyone tell me what they received was not satisfactory. I did have two buyers who committed to an item only to never be heard from again. In the unlikely event they ever again try to buy something I have for sale, I will not deal with them.

[RBE17]

I've had two transactions here:

1) Paid for a SS on 5/26 and have yet to receive it. The member has not been active since he sent me the PM saying he's shipping it on the 27th. I've responded to him via PM, email and in the original thread. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that it's lost and transit. I'd like the tracking info in order to open a claim. If I don't get a response soon I'll be forced to work through paypal to get a refund.

2) Bought a blue tip last week. Razor was described perfectly and the transaction went smoothly.

I've done thousands of dollars worth of business on the internet selling and buying car parts. Quite frankly, I'm a little taken back that I'm having such mixed results over items that combined didn't total $40 in transactions.

YMMV,


Steve.

[Luxem]

I have to say - this forum is full of GREAT guys - I have purchased all but one of my razors here, and have had dozens of positive experiences!

-I have had only 1 negative experience here, I had purchased a razor - he never delivered, many PMs were sent, he promised a new razor, it never came...- and over the span of a couple months when he would post something for sale, I would see others jump in the thread asking where their stuff was... it was members were looking out for other members!
I myself never added to the threads, but none-the-less I think the guy was ran off, as he hasn't been active on the forums since 12-28-2008

I continue to buy here, and I would trust these guys better than the 'bay, and I have gotten plenty of extras from the great guys here!

B/S/T is my favorite forum on here, even if Im not buying, I get to see sweet shaving stuff that sometimes I didn't know existed!

[BigRich]

So far so good. I've sold, purchased, and PIF'd many times with no problems.

Darn! I probably just jinxed myself.

I've never received a PIF so I can't comment there but everything else has been fine.

[mk-ultra]

I have never been disappointed. I bought 13 (?) razors on the BST (6 from Erwin) and 2 brushes. I also bought a few assorted soaps and creams.

I thought all of the prices were reasonable.

If something is out of my price range, I pass on it.

[Bristlingbeardofodin]

All positive.

[tlanning]

I've bought and sold a bunch of items here with mostly great results.

Did get a Merkur 1904 advertised as brand new and unused when it arrived it had some soap scum and bits of beard residue on it - plus it was packed really badly.

So there are a few weasels on here.

A rating system may be a good idea....

:thumbup:I believe B&B already has a rating system in place. I haven't seen it yet but I can't help but believe that a vast majority of<(or at least enough:biggrin1:) members are similar to me in the believe that if I have a bad experience, cannot resolve it with a seller, then see that seller selling something else, I'll have a SAY right then and there!:mad5::behead::taz: