wideboyuk

I notice there has been a few threads recently about Ebay.
Lets discuss the pros and cons of using Ebay.
What kind of items sell well / don't sell etc.

There have been a few occasions of not receiving goods etc.

I'd like to hear from those with experience, good or bad.

Over to you...

Rally

I have a rating of 56 on ebay, 6 as a seller of goods, I have 100% feedback and been on it for 2 years.

I have never had a problem with a transaction, and all I have bought from have been polite and promt with communications.

So long as you dont get conned by a description in an auction, and actually receive the goods then everyone should be happy.

To help guard myself I consider a couple of things:
1. I dont buy from sellers with less than 10 transactions
2. I dont buy from sellers with feedback of under 95%
3. If there is any doubt in my mind the goods or the description are not quite pukka then I email seller for more info or leave well alone.

At the end of the day if you take chances you can get real bargains, but there again you can be more open to being ripped off, thats just my opinion anyway.

fatherpierre

Use common sense.

Sounds obvious, but so many people get sucked into a cheap deal and get ripped off.

Always check where the person lives - you can request this info; always check their feedback to see what they normally sell; always compare the price to other online sellers and NEVER be the seller's dream and get into an emotional bid war with someone!

I sell designer clothing and do ok. 80%-150% average profit per item.

jbryant

I agree that it's fine.
I've got feedback of >40 and have never had a problem buying or selling. Guess I'm lucky..

If an item is too good to be true, then it probably is. Simple as that.

Then again, I must admit I really do like the way I've sold several second-hand items for more than they can be bought new if you hunted a few e-stores Make sure you know the true value of something you're bidding on.

Joolz

LG John

I've only started using it in the last few days I put my scooby up on it and have had a lot more calls about it from having it on ebay than in Autotrader which is amazing considering it cost £46 for the trader and about £9 for ebay!!

I also bought my first item (not got it yet so fingers crossed). An N64 with 4 games for £13 + 7P&P. Seems like a good deal to me I'm going to get shot of the games and buy Goldeneye as thats all I wanted it for. Just took a fancy to a bit of 'Facility' action

fatherpierre

That's cheap!

It's not from Nigeria or Thailand, is it

LG John

Soon find out

GaryK

ebay is great, been using it for 2.5 years and managed to sell alot of stuff that I was just gonna dump, bought a classic car off of it (mk2 1600e cortina) and its amazing what you can buy. Had a couple of problems with a couple of people winning and then not paying but on the whole its bloody great. I know lots of people that have sold their cars on there too because you seem to get so much exposure.

One thing that amazes me is the stupidity of people though. I recently wanted an ATI remote wonder and was gonna buy one from ebay, one has just sold (no box or manuals) for £31 + postage, Ive just bought one brand new for £31 inc. p&p crazy! Im now after a griffin imic for my powerbook, theres one on there for £31 with a day and a half to go, went on the apple site and brand new they are...£30!!! how stupid are people!!!

As with any form of auction though it is buyer beware, for anything over £150 I will *always* collect unless its too far away and then I probably wont bid in the first place! If your're buying electrical stuff from overseas that *seems* cheap just remember you can get hit for import duty or you have no comeback at all if you simply dont receive the goods, I only deal with UK based sellers.

on the whole ebay is the mutts nuts!

Gary

tonybooth

I have been a member for about 2 years and although I have not made regular use of it, I have found it to be very good - especially when I needed the discontinued Kane & Able box set for the wife's birthday.

I have just started selling on e-bay in the US as I have just set up a new company. Got my first 2 sales yesterday and they paid with PayPal - so job's a good 'un.

Common sense is the key when buying. Simple as that.

TONY

wideboyuk

Are certain items easier to sell than others?
With Ebay being as big as it is and growing everyday is there a danger of the market being flooded? Great for the buyer, not so great for the seller?

Markus

I have an ebay account, but I've never actually used it myself, however, got a couple of friends who use it religiously, and they've not so far, been bitten. They use common sense (as suggested by others) and that seems to pay dividends.

It is a great tool, and you can sell, more or less, anything. It's good for geeky type stuff, as mainly geeky types use it For example, I was going to get my mum to sell my Babylon 5 videos (all the seasons in the box sets that HMV did a few years back, plus the box set of the movies), then my mate nabbed them and stuck them on ebay for me, got a fair bit more than my mum would have, and found out that one of the boxes was actually worth a fair bit hehehe. lovely.

Billbill

All of the above advise is good!
After 4 years of selling, FB of over 230 and only one neg. I consider it a great enterprise.
When selling, do not try and get actual value on the first bid.
Start low and let it go up.
If it doesn't go higher, you have learned a lesson.
I have sold things that cost 3 and 4 times that value in shipping without customer complaint.
Selling consigned items is also fun, the going rate for the seller is 50% after expenses.
Any item you wish to sell, research it on Ebay before listing.
I have had several items that I got for practically nothing that went for a couple hundred dollars.
Tail light assemblies from old cars are a winner also.

Use your imagination!!!!!!!! That's the secret!!!!!!!!!!

dba

bargains are harder to find,but they are there

8 quid for Zeppelins 4 cd set! still 50 quid in the shops

just be patient and don't get bid fever

wideboyuk

Whats all this cack about guys 'selling information on where to buy so and so item for $1!!'
Thought I saw a Sony Vaio laptop for $20 bargain - not!!!!

fatherpierre

That's where the common sense bit comes in to play.

wideboyuk

lol, do people really fall for this?

Billbill

YES

joni

In my experience the opposite is true...i.e.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...EBWA%3AIT&rd=1

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/p...Product_ID/263

I think the likelyhood is that buyers will get bored of seeing retail prices for second hand risks

Dazza01

New to e-bay, made 18 purchases, and my feedback is ace, all say prompt payment and good communictor, 1 however in my earlier thread ripped me off for £47, also found out that she had ripped 2 others off as well, people slagged me of for the negitive feedback i left cos off her 100% record, but when u look closely its was only 100% because she was buying the item so she had to pay for it 1st and not selling, the 2 items she sold, she took the money and never sent the products, the 3rd hasn't put up neg feedback yet has he's hoping to get the item.

in all i think e-bay is a great way to buy/sell ur clobber, and at the end off the day it's all about TRUST, you part with ur money and they then send u the item,

The same is done on here everyday in the forsale section, i brought a couple of things from Andy Tang some time ago, paid a few hundred quid into his account, called him up to let him know the money was in he sent me the goods happy days, SNet-bay......

StickyMicky

had no problems myself apart from one person selling a sega saturn, who was very lazy in sending the goods out