Joining Ebay-any advice?

hotspur (Chris) · #1 09-11-2010, 09:04 AM

Hello.

Looking at joining ebay-I really have never had much to do with it.

A friend asked me about buying some sports gear,so I showed him ebay.

He found gear he was looking for,I said I'd looking at joining,so he could purchase gear.

Just had a look at ebay terms and conditions,It appears to me the information you give and your transactions etc,is used by ebay in many ways.Not sure about all this.

Should I have any concerns?,what are your thoughts on these terms and conditions?I see many people here talk about ebay.

So any advice and thoughts on it would be useful.

Thanks Chris

bojan · #2 09-11-2010, 09:14 AM

I am using ebay for small purchases for years.
I had only one dispute with a seller from UK (combined purchase and not everything sent, the item was faulty and then he was reluctant to send my money back), and I was not the only one who had problems when dealing with this guy.
But overall, my experience is very positive and I never had any problems/issues you are mentioning (privacy and so on).
I never sold anything on ebay, though.

hotspur (Chris) · #3 09-11-2010, 09:25 AM

Thanks Bojan.

I see a lot of mention of ebay sellers on this and many forums-like shops.

looks like a easy way to buy those items you cannot buy in a shop.

Was just a bit concerned about the privacy terms.

I think I will join ebay,and help this fellow buy this fishing reel he wants,($55 includes postage)from a ebay seller.

It would be handy buying photography odds and ends from Hong Kong.

Chris

Max Vondel (Peter) · #4 09-11-2010, 09:34 AM

Ebay is great don't be afraid.
Read the descriptions carefully
I've been on since 1999 and have done over 2000 transactions.
You'll get the occasional dishonest peabrain.
Pay with PayPal and protect yourself.
Other than that have fun, it's all good!

RickS (Rick) · #5 09-11-2010, 09:48 AM

Chris,

I've used ebay a fair amount and made some large purchases and sold a couple of expensive items. I have never had a serious problem, but when buying anything of significant value I always check ebay feedback, google for info on the seller and bounce a few questions off them to see if they are responsive and knowledgeable about the item they are selling. A couple of times I have decided against buying an item I really wanted because the seller seemed a bit flaky.

When selling I always take pictures of the item pre and post packing and send the item via registered post or a courier who provides proof of delivery. I'm also scrupulous with my item descriptions, so a buyer shouldn't get any surprises.

Despite all reasonable precautions I'm sure you can still get screwed. I figure the occasional bad transaction is balanced by all the good ones...

A general tip on buying strategy is that sniping at the last minute will usually save you money. I just use a tabbed browser with a bid ready to go in one tab while I watch the countdown in another tab. Don't get caught up in the excitement and bid more than you planned to spend, of course.

For selling, if you have an item that is likely to be popular then set a very low starting price. You'll attract a bunch of people hoping for a bargain and take advantage of what behavioural economists call the "winner's curse".

Cheers,
Rick.

hotspur (Chris) · #6 09-11-2010, 12:11 PM

Ok,thanks Rick and Peter for those useful tips.

What is the view point on these 'shops' on ebay,(not sure if that's the right term),But we all see them,and many of us here buy those camera bits and pieces from them.

I notice that they have items for bid,and then just 'buy now'.

For example this fishing reel my friend wants,is in a auction,and we can see the 'shop' has 10 in stock,at $56.I cannot understand how that works.,if we put bid on it say $40,one would not expect to get it if at that price,when they have 'buy now' price at $55.

Seems easier just to buy the item at the 'buy now' price.Anyhow it's a bit of a learning curve.I will join this week and get this fishing reel for my friend.

How do you sign up for pay pal?and how does it work,Currently -I have a bank account with visa debt card,and I just leave a small amount in it and then put it a little more than the item costs.On fairly small transactions this seems ok,but will look into this pay pal bit,what are the costs of it etc.

Thanks Chris

Sylvain (Jon) · #7 09-11-2010, 12:29 PM

Chris,

I can also recommend ebay. I have never had any issues, especially regarding privacy.
Twice it happened that I bought an item that in fact was not available: I had sent the money and the seller was not responding to emails: it was for a camera I paid $250 and was a stressful situation as one can imagine! Anyway after 10 days or so of him not responding I filed a complaint with paypal (I had the good idea of paying with paypal) and about 10 days later I had all my money back! Turns out the guy had been doing the same to several buyers! A real fraud!
In the second case, it was similar and I got my money back from paypal very quickly and easily.

A few tips (in addition to the previous excellent ones):
- Always use paypal - it does protect you and its instant payment
- Always check the feedback of the seller: look for negative and neutral feedback although sometimes some people (maybe inexperienced users?) can leave neutral or negative feedback without discussing the mater with the seller beforehand or for things that aren't major: this is why you wanna have a read and also see if the seller responded and what the issue was all about.
- if you are unsure about things, ask the seller questions: they should reply quickly, but make sure there's enough time before the end of the auction so the buyer has enough time to answer.
- When selling, always ship in registered and keep the receipt with the post office stamp: this is to prove you actually sent the goods should an issue come up.
- If there's a problem, talk about it first with the buyer/seller first before leaving feedback. Any serious seller will do what they can to make a buyer happy. As a buyer, you are kinda expected to leave a feedback first before the seller does so. Sometimes sellers do leave a feedback after receiving payment, but many do not because then there is no incentive for buyers to leave feedback.
- make sure you carefully read the description when buying an item.

Hope this helps.
Ebay is great: great way of getting things, great way of selling things. You can salvage value from many things that you'd otherwise throw away! Have fun and if you have questions, post them here and I'm sure you'll find plenty of people to answer them

Cheers,
Sylvain

Sylvain (Jon) · #8 09-11-2010, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotspur

What is the view point on these 'shops' on ebay,(not sure if that's the right term),But we all see them,and many of us here buy those camera bits and pieces from them.

Never had a problem with the Ebay stores! Usually they sell large quantities and the system works well: they are efficient and responsive: they have developed a real business on ebay, so it's important for them to keep customers happy. Hence they usually are a reliable source. Look for the "powerseller" logo. These guys are good!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotspur

I notice that they have items for bid,and then just 'buy now'.

For example this fishing reel my friend wants,is in a auction,and we can see the 'shop' has 10 in stock,at $56.I cannot understand how that works.,if we put bid on it say $40,one would not expect to get it if at that price,when they have 'buy now' price at $55.

Well, when you join the auction for an item, you can expect to get a little less than the buy it now price (otherwise there would be no point in having the auction). In this specific case where they have 10 in stock, it's a little different. But imagine there was only 1 item in stock. You can either 'play' the auction or buy it now. If it's an item you really want to secure, you might wanna pay a little bit more than what you would in the auction but secure the item. In your case, I recommend to play the auction. Worst case you'll go up to the buy it now price (don't go above obviously).

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotspur

Seems easier just to buy the item at the 'buy now' price.Anyhow it's a bit of a learning curve.I will join this week and get this fishing reel for my friend.

Easier and safer! But a bit more expensive maybe

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotspur

How do you sign up for pay pal?and how does it work,Currently -I have a bank account with visa debt card,and I just leave a small amount in it and then put it a little more than the item costs.On fairly small transactions this seems ok,but will look into this pay pal bit,what are the costs of it etc.

Thanks Chris

You go to the paypal website: you'll need an email address (that you can then link to your ebay account in the ebay options) and a credit card. The paypal account is linked to your credit card so when you make a purchase, the funds will be drawn from your credit card. You can also link a bank account to your paypal account to pay using the funds on this account rather than you credit card and to transfer money from paypal to your bank account.

Octane (Humayun) · #9 09-11-2010, 12:50 PM

The good old days of grabbing bargains on camera bodies and lenses is gone. In some instances, you end up paying the same, if not more, than what you would at a retail store. The price that is fetched nowadays for camera gear, is not worth the hassle. You might save a hundred bucks here, or a fifty bucks there. May as well buy the item new and have piece of mind.

Be mindful of the fact that you get exactly what you pay for; you might see cheap lighting equipment and wonder why a proper retailer is charging so much for the "same" thing. The difference is that the eBay version is a replica or a cheap Chinese clone. It will not last the distance of the real deal nor be of the same quality.

There are awesome deals on second-hand laptops, and things of that nature, though. It's also a great tool to guage the value and worth of something that you've been meaning to sell but had no idea how much to ask for it. The market drives the price.

Spend a few minutes and read through the various FAQs available on both the eBay and PayPal sites. They're well-written and will alleviate any concerns you may have.

H

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #10 09-11-2010, 01:26 PM

Humayun is right. Long gone are the days where you could reliably hop on to eBay and hope to bid on a bargain and actually get one. There are far too many other users trawling the same things you are for popular items not to sell nearly at or even beyond their true worth. If you're going to buy anything, place a maximum bid and stick to it - it's so easy to get caught up in the moment and end up paying more than you would have for the item new.

I find that it's more useful as a shopfront these days, and as long as you don't mind that you don't get to see or feel new items before they're delivered, it's a good place to shop. I often buy stuff that I can meet for the first time at my own front door - not a retail store's. Delivery from HK can be as fast as two days, and this makes it a real time saver for me.

tlgerdes (Trevor) · #11 09-11-2010, 01:53 PM

My experience with eBay is that people pay top dollar for rubbish and not enough for true value.

Sold a working HP D330 P4HT 2.8GHz, 1G RAM, 40G HDD OEM XP with disk for $45 (was hoping for $60-100)
Sold a faulty 2kw generator that was in pieces (only good for parts) for $110. (was hoping $10-20, just wanted it out of the garage)

sasup (Stacey) · #12 09-11-2010, 02:22 PM

out of 450 odd deals only three have gone bad and every time I have got my money back. Always use pay-pal or cod. Check feedback

DavidTrap (David) · #13 09-11-2010, 04:08 PM

Another eBay supporter.

I agree that bargains may be few and far between, but there are a wide range of Chinese clones that are actually quite impressive in their quality.

Highly recommend PayPal - it may seem a bit scary to link it to your credit card, but if you keep your password secure, you shouldn't need be worried. You also have the security of using a Visa Debit card so there's not money there to be stolen.

Cheers
DT

Kevnool (Kev) · #14 09-11-2010, 06:50 PM

Ebay is mostly business now with buy it now
I do look at it tho ...but now its good to know the average price of an item before i trot down the street to the major shops.

Cheers Kev.

el_draco (Rom) · #15 09-11-2010, 07:16 PM

Like everything its buyer/seller beware. When it goes well, you can make or save a bundle, but when it goes bad... very nasty. Pay fast, sellers like it, be honest, buyers like it. Feedback is the thing to watch. High +ve feedback is jealously guarded. Of, almost 180 transactions, I've had 4 go bad.

Good luck

hotspur (Chris) · #16 09-11-2010, 07:51 PM

Thank you IIS members for your wonderful help help and advice!

I was aware of a fair few pieces of information,yes I was well aware I was never going to get lenses and cameras at low prices.
there were a few pieces of information that I was not aware of-looking for that logo and pay pal information.

My outlook was one for buying those odds and ends from those ebay shops,I have heard very good reports on them,things I will be likely to buy are those little extra bits for camera gear-a plastic hood,spirit level thing that goes on to flash port etc.

Some sporting gear-this fishing reel for friend,some of the more serious purchases will be timber cutting gear,that can only be bought from U.S and Canada-they making protective clothing over there that simply cannot be bought here.

So,will be handy,there are many other items I'd rather buy at a proper retailer-I'd be happy to handle some goods and pay extra for the piece of mind.

Really pleased to get such a lot of helpful advice,thanks so much.

Cheers Chris

acropolite (Phil) · #17 09-11-2010, 10:02 PM

I don't necessarily agree that bargains are few and far between. I bought several isdn modems from Europe on eBay all were around 10% to 20% of the cost new in Oz. I recently bought a small rc helicopter for $55 that sold in identical packaging at a local retailer for $129. You just have to know what it is you're buying and research your price. EBay is also a great place to sell camera gear and particularly lenses, as the others have indicated the punters often pay over and above any realistic market value.

Your idea of having an account is sound but if there isn't enough money in the account and a transaction bounces, your credit card will be debited anyway and you'll probably incur a dishonor fee from the bank.

hotspur (Chris) · #18 10-11-2010, 08:40 AM

Ok,I have joined up to ebay and all went smoothly,after that I joined pay pal-the ebay register went straight to it after I completed the ebay form.

Now my debt card is connected to pay pal,when I make a purchase and I tick pay pal method of pay,is there any thing else I have to do?Does the the pay pal automatically take the funds from debt card?

Yes,Phil-research is a key part of buying of ebay.

Cheers Chris

chrisp9au (Chris) · #19 10-11-2010, 09:04 AM

I've been a member of eBay for almost 10 years now, with far too many purchases!

I've bought computer gear, some really good furniture at amazing prices, electrical bits and pieces, audio gear, and in 10 years I've had only one problem, when the seller went overseas and it took 5 weeks to get the item delivered.

Check feedback carefully, not just the numbers, go and read the feedback comments. This is especially so for 2nd hand items; anything new that is a well known brand should be OK.

Check very carefully on the postage costs, some sellers, particularly in the USA and Canada, insist on using the most expensive options on international sales. For some reason postage from the UK has dropped dramatically over the past couple of years.

There are some things I would not buy on eBay, usually stuff that I would insist on trying before buying. Optical gear is a good example, but to be honest, most of the time, the Telescope and Binocular listings are totally devoid of anything worth considering anyway! Having said that, I have just recently bought a brand new Telrad from the USA for US$37 plus US$14 postage. Try and get that sort of price here in Oz!

Whenever I'm on eBay, the very first thing I look for is the sellers feedback rating. I would only buy from a new seller if there is the option to pick up the item locally. In fact there are times when I'm looking for something specific that I narrow my search to items that are within 100km of home to allow for pickup options.

One final tip that took me a long time to cotton on to, only go to eBay when you have something specific you are looking for, browsing eBay just to see what people are selling can be a wallet emptying trap!

And hey, there are much better bargains to be had on IceTrades and at astro camps!

Hope these suggestions help.

Cheers

Chris

bojan · #20 11-11-2010, 04:10 PM

Just one example of what you can expect to get on ebay.
This thing: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SELBY-13-37-T...item3361d1ee16 arrived after 2 days on my address, total cost was $52.
Probably cheap Chinese product... and most likely lots cheaper in China.. but VERY strong and perfectly adequate for what it's been designed for, and the quality of workmanship is quite OK.

Now, for EXACTLY the same thing, Harvey Norman (the same looking, same size, same quality stuff), they wanted ~$150.