Thanks for checking out my profile.  At Honest Abraham's DVD & CD World, I strive to make your buying experience a positive one.  Here are some reasons why:

• Honest descriptions of my items - since I am a buyer on eBay as well, one of the most frustrating things I encounter are sellers who "overgrade" the condition or omit major flaws that should be mentioned.  They will say their DVDs are "near mint", but half of them are former rentals, which are rarely anywhere near that condition.  At Honest Abraham's, I grade all my individual DVDs condition truthfully, and will try to mention factors such as whether the case is a Blockbuster case.  When I grade the discs I sell, I shine a light on the playable side(s) of the disc to expose scratches & scuffs that might not be seen simply be glancing at the disc. Most people can deal with a DVD isn't in mint condition, but they want to know the truth.  Very often, my buyers will comment that the disc was in better condition than they expected.  I'd rather you be pleasantly suprised than to be disappointed.  I also put my policies up-front, so you know what to expect.
• Good communication - since I use the automated e-mails that are offered in eBay's Selling Manager Pro, you will receive e-mails at every step of the way.  You will receive e-mails when you win an auction (or Buy-It-Now from a fixed price or store item), when you pay, and when the item is shipped.  I also send an e-mail through my postage provider (Endicia), which has the Post Office's Delivery Confirmation Tracking number (or if I use UPS, I will send their tracking number through PayPal).  So as long as your e-mail address is still valid and isn't blocking my e-mails as spam, you will know what is going on every step of the way.
• Items are shipped out quickly - the majority of the time, as long as you pay me on time, I will ship your item out either the same day or by the next BUSINESS day after you have paid me (or if you paid by eCheck, after that clears).  So unlike some sellers out there, you won't have to deal with having your item shipped out 5 days after you paid because they only go to the Post Office once a week. 
• Free shipping on most items - the majority of items that I sell now have free shipping & handling!
• Safe & secure shipping - all individual DVDs will be shipped in a bubble mailer to protect it in transit.  DVD lots will have packing materials to protect it. 

What I ask in return from my buyers is simple:

• Read my listings for condition and the policies I have before bidding/buying or asking questions.  The majority of e-mails I get are things I answered in the listing. But if you do still have a question, please ask me BEFORE bidding or buying my items!
• Please pay quickly.  Besides my DVD lots, the majority of my items are not expensive.  The majority of my auctions & fixed price items wind up being less than $10.  So unless you are having a PayPal problem, a computer problem, or something extremely unexpected, there really is no reason to not pay me immediately after a Buy-It-Now purchase, or within 1 or 2 days after the auction. Unfortunately, on a weekly basis, I constantly am dealing with a handful of buyers who pay almost a week after the auction (or not at all).  This isn't fair to me, nor is it fair to other buyers who might have wanted the item you won. If you can't pay for it now, please don't buy it now! I understand the economy isn't good...but if you can't afford to pay for a item that is $5 now, you probably shouldn't be buying anything that isn't a necessity!
• Feedback - understand that I will leave feedback only after I receive it from the buyer, but will always leave it when I receive a positive.  When rating me, please base the feedback and the DSR's on MY performance.  If I rated the condition of the disc to have some scratches, please don't penalize me for the fact that the disc has scratches.  If I shipped your item the day after you paid, but the PO takes 2 weeks to deliver it, please do not penalize me for that. 

Besides selling, I am also a regular buyer on eBay.  As a buyer, you can expect fast payment of the items I bought from you.  In most cases, I will pay almost immediately after an auction.  At worst case, it would be the next morning if I won the auction at night.  I understand how frustrating it is when buyers don't pay right away.  I believe that if I can't pay for an item now, I shouldn't buy it!

Please add me to your Favorite Sellers!  Also, you can sign-up through there for my FREE newsletters.  Be the first to see what items I have available.  Newsletter subscribers will also receive offers, promotions, and coupons, that will only be available to subscribers.

Now, a little bit about me.  I'm a single, 38 year old male who lives in New Jersey, a few miles away from the Atlantic Ocean.  I'm a graduate of the University of Miami (Go Canes!).  Some of my favorite things are: College Football, Hockey (NJ Devils), the beach, music, & movies. I started my eBay business in February 2005.  In just a few years, I have worked with thousands of great people!  Previously, I worked in marketing, sales, and real estate.  I hope to work with many of you.

1.  Why is your policy section so long...I feel like I'm reading a credit card application or the side effects from a prescription drug ad? I have found that it is better to list what my policies are in advance, so you don't have any surprises.  It saves both of us time by addressing questions that you might have, so you can make a decison on whether or not to bid without e-mailing your question.  

2. Why don't you ship outside of the United States? I have chosen not to ship internationally for a few reasons.  First, I don't have the time to deal with the extra work involved with shipping outside of the US (filling out customs forms, waiting on line at the Post Office, etc).  Second, there are too many delivery problems with international shipments.  Third, unfortunately I see way too many unfair negative feedback given to sellers from international buyers when I look at other sellers feedback.  If postal regulations change in the future, I may consider selling outside.  But for now, I don't.  Please don't e-mail asking if I'll ship to you in Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Brazil, etc, as I will not reply to these e-mails. 

3. Why don't you leave feedback first (right after I pay)?

a. Getting feedback from my buyer first allows me to know that the item arrived safely, and that the buyer was pleased with it. 

b. Buyers cannot get a negative.  You no longer have to worry that a seller will leave you a retaliatory negative.

c.  If you have have read as much seller feedback as I have, you've probably seen many unfair comments that are left.  Some people view the situation as "The buyer paid, so his obligation has been fulfilled".  However, the transaction is not done.  How a buyer acted after payment is as important as how quickly he/she paid.  Many negatives are given for problems with the Post Office (lost packages or delays), complaints about something that was mentioned in the listing (condition of product, s/h costs, policies), etc. The seller shouldn't be punished for things like that, when something is clearly stated in a listing.  I've even seen negatives for sellers who didn't leave feedback.  In my opinion, that is extremely immature and uncalled for. 

d. Feedback is voluntary.  Neither party has to give it.  There is no policy on eBay that says that sellers have to leave it first.  They suggest that, but it is not a requirement.  eBay shouldn't be about having your ego stroked by getting a positive.  It should be about getting a good deal on an item, or finding a hard-to-find item that you can't find in stores.

e. As many sellers have probably experienced, I've had unscrupulous buyers threaten me with negative feedback if I didn't alter something that was listed clearly in my listing.  Recently, I've received a few negatives because I would accept a return after my clearly stated return policy, as well as a neutral because I didn't leave feedback first.

f. Simply put..if your payment clears and you leave a positive, you will get a positive.  Since I am extremely thorough in listing my policies and the condition, and offer a refund policy on many items, I truly do not see why I would ever deserve a neutral or negative.  Negative feedback, in my opinion, should be reserved only for "Bad Apples".

g. Your feedback will sound better if I leave it after you do.  If I left feedback immediately after you pay, the only thing I have to base it on is how fast you paid.  So my feedback would be something like "Buyer paid 2 days after the auction"...because the only thing I have to base it on is how fast you paid.  I think most people would rather have the more positive feedback I leave now, such as "Excellent buyer...great to work with.  Highly recommended".

h. Any requests to leave feedback first (either in a PayPal note or by e-mail) will be ignored.  Also, you do not have to e-mail me after you have left feedback to ask me to leave it for you.  I check the feedback page a few times a day, and will leave it as soon as I see that it has been left for me.  I understand you may have had other sellers who never leave you feedback, even after you leave them a positive.  I will ALWAYS leave it for you after I see that it has been left for me.  If you do not like this policy, please do not bid on my items.

My main focus is to give you a great experience.  I want you to be happy that I sent out your item promptly, you knew what you were getting, and that you saved money.  My feedback policy may not be popular with everyone, but I feel that it is the fairest way to avoid unfair feedback. 

4. Why don't you test the DVDs that you sell?  As you can see, I list hundreds of DVDs every week.  With just one person running the business, it simply is impossible to check every DVD for skips.  Plus, a DVD might work fine on my DVD player, but skip on yours. 

5. The condition for some DVDs says they have scratches.  Why do you sell discs in this condition? As mentioned above, certain DVD players (especially newer ones) are able to handle discs that are scratched, while some older or cheaper players have problems just reading the newer discs because they are dual-layered.  If you look at many rental DVDs, you'll notice that they don't look in good shape...but they don't have problems in playback. Some buyers have products like the Skip Dr., and will try to fix the scratches themselves.  Then there are buyers who can handle a few skips, since the price is so low.  I rate the condition of all of the discs, so you can make a decision based on the condition that you are comfortable with. 

6. I live close to you...can I pick up the item?  As I mention in the listing, I do not allow pickup.  First, it is against the by-laws of my development to meet customers in my home.  Second, I don't feel like having strangers coming to my house...especially since my insurance doesn't cover customers coming into my home, should an accident occur.  With gas prices where they are at now, it will be cheaper for you to have me mail you the package, opposed to driving to my house or the store.

7. I'm looking at (or have bought) a few of your DVDs...are you willing to cut me a deal or lower your shipping?  Unfortunately, no.  Since this is a business, I rely on making a profit.  I'm not selling off things to make a few extra dollars. With the exception of some out-of-print or hard-to-find titles, the profit margin on most of the items isn't high to begin with. Spending 60 hours a week doing this really isn't worth it to break even or lose money.   I won't begrudge you for wanting to save some money, but please don't give me grief for trying to make a profit.

8. My package hasn't arrived...did you send it (where is it, what's the next step, etc)?  In most instances, I will have mailed your package within 1 Business Day (not on weekends or holiday).  After the package was mailed, you should receive two e-mails from me.  One through eBay (to the e-mail address you have registered with them), and one to the PayPal address (if applicable and if different than the other).  One of these e-mails has the USPS Delivery Confirmation Number or UPS Tracking Number.  This e-mail will show the last place where the package was scanned (unfortunately, the Post Office often only scans the Del. Conf. at delivery, but will sometimes scan it at the Regional mail facilities).  If you didn't receive either of these e-mails from me within 2 days after you paid, please e-mail me and I will re-send them (the e-mail could have been blocked by a spam filter, and some system issue caused it to not arrive).  I will not have any further information other than that status.  Unfortunately, I don't have any control over the delivery times of USPS or UPS.  I have seen delays during certain times of the year (December is the worst, due to the holiday rush).

9. What are your hours of operation? While I do not have specific hours of operation, I am normally on the computer from around 9am to 5 pm Eastern Time, 7 days a week.  Please note that I may not be able to answer your questions as quickly on the weekends, especially on Saturdays during college football season (in which case I will respond to e-mails on Sunday). Also, since it is just me running the operation, there will be occassions where I will not be around...I  do have a life besides eBay :-).  On the rare occassions that I will be away for a few days, I will most likely have a message on my eBay store advising when I will be away.

My policies and my FAQ's might make me sound mean and scare some people off.  The thousands of people who have worked with me can attest that this is not the case.  I'm a laid-back guy, who wants to run a profitable business while helping buyers save money.  I believe that the best transactions are when both the buyer and seller win. Happy sellers = more sellers = more supply & lower prices for buyers. If you are the type of person who likes to complain for the sake of complaining or doesn't feel like following a few policies, you don't have to bid on my items (and I'd prefer that you didn't).  I'd much rather work with the many great eBay members that are out there, even if that means I get less money.  Thank you to all the wonderful buyers I've worked with, and I hope to work with many of you in the future.