Yeah I had the same experience when I sold on there.
The site is pretty intuitive but not perfectly so. If you’re happy with the cut they take then I think they’ve got a pretty good system.
Tinbids Experiences?
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The site is pretty intuitive but not perfectly so. If you’re happy with the cut they take then I think they’ve got a pretty good system.
I've had plenty of good experiences buying on Tinbids. Selling is another matter...
Have sold on Tinbids many times and it is highly frustrating. Primarily due to the following:
1) You MUST use their shipping labels or they get upset with you because their labels are prepaid and automatically tracked. So you need a printer. Not a big deal if you already have one.
2) You will not get your money until numerous days AFTER the item has been tracked as received by the buyer.
3) Some buyers have shipping addresses that are outside the USA. If you're not getting paid until the item arrives weeks later in another country, then you start feeling like you'll never get paid.
4) If your item gets lost in the mail while using THEIR designated shipping label, well sorry, sucks to be you.
Have sold on Tinbids many times and it is highly frustrating. Primarily due to the following:
1) You MUST use their shipping labels or they get upset with you because their labels are prepaid and automatically tracked. So you need a printer. Not a big deal if you already have one.
2) You will not get your money until numerous days AFTER the item has been tracked as received by the buyer.
3) Some buyers have shipping addresses that are outside the USA. If you're not getting paid until the item arrives weeks later in another country, then you start feeling like you'll never get paid.
4) If your item gets lost in the mail while using THEIR designated shipping label, well sorry, sucks to be you.
Well, I had two bidders fight the price of my auction up to a price I would consider a very good one, and then the winner didn't pay. I gave him a week and had to just relist it. I guess we'll see what happens from here. Frustrating.
Would be reluctant to say that is a problem specific to Tinbids, but yeah, that blows dude.
For buying from tinbids consignment itself, only good experiences. Have not sold any yet.
I find website counter intuitive. I don’t see the ability to do a keyword search. And it doesn’t seem that sellers are rated. I can’t even figure out who the sellers are. On several entries I see what looks like Chinese characters. Does that mean seller is in Asia ??
Unfortunately, it happens. There are a number of fake bidders on eBay who run up prices to reveal people's maximum bids and then retract their own bids. Despite eBay's BS policy about retractions I've encountered bidders with well over 100 retractions in a 12 month period. Nobody legit does that.
I posted elsewhere about questions I had for Tinbid relating to selling items, who insures it, what happens if it goes lost. I did not get satisfactory answers, they were very evasive and then changed their position.
Question about shipping insurance using Tinbids. :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/question-about-shipping-insurance-using-tinbids.103861/#post-36999785
If the owner is so savvy he needs to have the specifics laid out in writing, on his website, he doesn't.
I suspect the reason you must ship through them is they make money on the shipping. They charge the buyer the full price and the USPS gives them a discount.
Question about shipping insurance using Tinbids. :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/question-about-shipping-insurance-using-tinbids.103861/#post-36999785
If the owner is so savvy he needs to have the specifics laid out in writing, on his website, he doesn't.
I suspect the reason you must ship through them is they make money on the shipping. They charge the buyer the full price and the USPS gives them a discount.
I read through most of their boilerplate and my take is this;
Tinbids is a business engaged in offering an on line site where people can buy and sell tobaccos. They supply services to facilitate an exchange of goods for money, for which they receive listing fees and take a percentage of the buy price. They require payment for goods within 3 days of the conclusion of a sale. Then they notify the consignor to mail out the package with costs and terms, such as insurance, set by the consignor. The use of their labels is for their tracking convenience. They also indemnify themselves from any and all responsibility if anything goes pear shaped.
They're not a charity, a cult, your best friend, or your mama. Their only interest is in making money by offering an exchange.
Big surprise.
There's also a fair amount of boilerplate in there to intimidate the average monkey, a lot of it unenforceable, including aspects of the indemnification language. One of the fun aspects of over four decades working in the Biz is that you get familiar with a LOT of contract scams and bullshit. I usually just X out the lines in a contract that I won't accept, add in something that was agreed to but mysteriously didn't it into the agreement, and then sign it. If the other party had an issue with this then I guess we're not going to rumba. But that's just me. Other people make their own calculus. Tinbids is a "take it or leave it" proposition.
Bottom line, they get their money right away and there's no clear standard for when you will get yours, nor do they offer any compensation for lost mailings. They will abide by all applicable statues, so they probably have to return some of the money to the buyer in the event of a disappearance.
They also promise to kick you off the platform if you take action against them. What a surprise again.
As for the seller, compensation for lost goods will depend on what is required by law.
If that's not good enough. Don't do it.
Tinbids is a business engaged in offering an on line site where people can buy and sell tobaccos. They supply services to facilitate an exchange of goods for money, for which they receive listing fees and take a percentage of the buy price. They require payment for goods within 3 days of the conclusion of a sale. Then they notify the consignor to mail out the package with costs and terms, such as insurance, set by the consignor. The use of their labels is for their tracking convenience. They also indemnify themselves from any and all responsibility if anything goes pear shaped.
They're not a charity, a cult, your best friend, or your mama. Their only interest is in making money by offering an exchange.
Big surprise.
There's also a fair amount of boilerplate in there to intimidate the average monkey, a lot of it unenforceable, including aspects of the indemnification language. One of the fun aspects of over four decades working in the Biz is that you get familiar with a LOT of contract scams and bullshit. I usually just X out the lines in a contract that I won't accept, add in something that was agreed to but mysteriously didn't it into the agreement, and then sign it. If the other party had an issue with this then I guess we're not going to rumba. But that's just me. Other people make their own calculus. Tinbids is a "take it or leave it" proposition.
Bottom line, they get their money right away and there's no clear standard for when you will get yours, nor do they offer any compensation for lost mailings. They will abide by all applicable statues, so they probably have to return some of the money to the buyer in the event of a disappearance.
They also promise to kick you off the platform if you take action against them. What a surprise again.
As for the seller, compensation for lost goods will depend on what is required by law.
If that's not good enough. Don't do it.
I've used it quite a bit, bought and sold. Never an issue. Shameless self plug, I'll probably be listing a sum total of half my cellar on there soon 
so keep an eye out
so keep an eye out
I’ve won many things on there. Sometimes I take a few days to pay, but I’ve never not done so.
I recommend checking things as soon as received as their return policy only gives you a few days to do so. Checked a tin of Sullivans I paid $325 for a few months later only to find it completely rusted out inside with no recourse.
I’ve bought consignment from 4noggins, boswells, Tinbids, larryson, briarfellowship, dude with a pipeshop in brazil, but no one beats Steve (@pipestud) and his stellar attitude and customer service.
I recommend checking things as soon as received as their return policy only gives you a few days to do so. Checked a tin of Sullivans I paid $325 for a few months later only to find it completely rusted out inside with no recourse.
I’ve bought consignment from 4noggins, boswells, Tinbids, larryson, briarfellowship, dude with a pipeshop in brazil, but no one beats Steve (@pipestud) and his stellar attitude and customer service.
Yup
Yup love me some pipestud. If I wasn't so broke right now I would have won a 100g tin this morning of the 1 time ever produced Mcclelland vintage 5100 red cake in the tin. Man I wish i could have scooped 1 up. But as with everything else in life it shall rear its pretty little tin head back again someday and I will get it then. That is why I will never persua anybody away from a buisness like tinbids/pipestud. They provide a way to procure tins in which we would never find naturally in the wild. If you don't trust the buisness in which it needs US to keep them in buisness then I don't know what to do other then stick to what we got on shelves in B&Ms and online.
For some reason that one doesn’t interest me. I’m more excited about my tins of millenium, new millennium, and ‘83 red. I feel like there’s someone that’s had 5100 it in a mason jar for a few decades that wouldnt charge me $275 lol
Very true, very true. The only issue is the old curmudgeons that do have pounds of the stuff are all gonna get buried with it like an Egyptian Pharoah. All I know is I can't wait for 30-40 years to go by and I give generously to people blends that no longer will exist.
It looks like a great site. Unfortunately, I can‘t see myself buying aged or out of production tobacco when I live in Canada. Getting fresh tobacco here is hard enough. It costs me about $50CAD for a pouch of Five Brothers by the time shipping, duties and taxes are paid.
I have used tinbids on several occasions. When they first started out I felt they were the outlet for stuff that Pipestud wouldn't touch. I had 2 supposedly sealed tins I won turn out to have been opened and dried out but I gave them to a chum on here who rehydrated the stuff and was as pleased as punch. Recently I think they have tightened up things as all of my purchases have been spot on and I have been delighted with the service. You pays your money and takes your chances!