Anybody have had any good/bad experiences at eBay? I have never ordered anything from there but recently saw this one gadget that I’m planning on getting in near future. It costs around $350 in general but eBay it was listed as $5.00. That was quite unbelievable.
Now, I know that it was not on auction. It had that “Buy now” link next to it which, upon lookup, I came to know means that there is no bidding going on on that item and once you agree to buy it, it’s yours. But I still can’t understand how a $350 thing can be sold for $5 even if the supplier claims that he got 700 in quantity.
$5 may be teh starting bid, with a reserve price attached to the auction i.e. if the bids do not pass a certain minimum desired by the seller, then the auction would just expire.
That buy now link probably had the minimum price the seller was willing to accept right next to it. so even though teh bid is at $5 on a $350 item, you can get it for $250 if that is teh sellers mimimum acceptable price.
if that is not the case, and he is selling something that costs 350 for 5, i would check the person's rating as well as other buyer's comments. dude may be a con artist
eBay personifies the old adage "If its too good to be true, it probably is".
If you check the Consumer Affairs section of your state, you will find that most internet fraud complaints center around online auctions. This one doesn't seem to be an auction, but being on eBay, probably means, that the seller might not have the sterling reputation of an amazon.com
Unless the dude got hold of a lot of surplus inventory, which indicate product problem, or stole these, which is illegal, it seems too improbably that a $350 item can be sold at 1 percent of the price. The only thing I can recommend (without knowing the item) is to check if it is new or used, is in working condition or not nad what is the ranking of the seller. I believe eBay has seller ranking too. Also, see if your credit card company offers any protection against online fraud, which basically means you pay for something and the stuff never gets delivered. AmEx, for example, refunds every penny right away, and then they go after the culprit themselves, and you are not kept hanging.
On a personal note, I have never bought anything from eBay or anyother online auction. So, don't know of any personal experiences.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Roman: *
Anybody have had any good/bad experiences at eBay? I have never ordered anything from there but recently saw this one gadget that I'm planning on getting in near future. It costs around $350 in general but eBay it was listed as $5.00. That was quite unbelievable.
Now, I know that it was not on auction. It had that "Buy now" link next to it which, upon lookup, I came to know means that there is no bidding going on on that item and once you agree to buy it, it's yours. But I still can't understand how a $350 thing can be sold for $5 even if the supplier claims that he got 700 in quantity.
[/QUOTE]
If u are transaction over the internet make sure they are secured and your Cipher strength of 128 bit for your browser. Also check for sellers rating v. v. important
I have used eBay couple of times and have had a very good experience everytime I used it. Here are few things I always do before I bid/buy anything on eBay.
Check the actual price of the item I am going to buy
Check the eBay price (Buy it now or the current Bids)
Check the Shipping being charged by the seller
Check the Rating of the Seller (Most Imporant)
Inquire the condition/other details of the item with the seller (Keep all the details of your communication with the seller)
Once I am satisfied that the product is worth the amount I am willing to pay - I bid on it or use the buy it now.
I bought a used camera from eBay for $150+S&H - Once I got it I wasn't very happy with it(because It was old). I sold it for 195+S&H. So that is another advantage - If you dont like it you can always sell it on eBay again (eBay Charges very small %age for selling your Item).
Overall eBay is not bad If you have carefully reviewed the item and Seller's rating. Sellers with good ratings are very professional and wont cheat you.
I have also used Amazon to buy used stuff from a third party. I have found eBay sellers better than amazon because most of these amazon third party sellers are individuals who want to get rid of their used stuff and wouldn't care about -ve feedback. They just want to get rid of the product they have used and its of no use to them anymore(e.g. - selling certification books).
At times its for products that are not in working condition. Like a Nikon Camera with extra long zoom lens, selling for $15, could have a busted lens, or a non functional photo system.
ebay is as reliable as you’re shopping savvy.. it’s a great place to get great deals.. but it’s not for your grandma’s style of shopping or for those who think they’ll credit card will be hacked if they buy something over the net
sometimes if it sounds too good to be true.. it is too good and true.
just make sure when u’re using ebay motors or real estate though.. lots of variables there.
I've only had good experiences buying and selling on eBay. Just make sure you look at people's ratings, as there are some unreliable folks out there, who bid on multiples of the same items by different sellers, and only follow through on the one which they get for the cheapest.
Has anyone actually bought something from ebay? How did it go?
I remember a while back, I bid for a notebook. Even though the starting bid was quiet low but in the final hours the bids were close to the price I could go get from the any online reliable dealer like buy.com/Amazon. So, IMO it didn't quiet work for me.
I guess what I am asking is, what kind of things you can buy off of ebay & get a good deal. I know electronics is out of the question.
Only concentrate on items whose biddings are almost closing. If at that point, their bid price makes sense to you, then bid for it, and follow it till the end to get it at a price u want.
If you bid too early, chances are you won't get it at that price anyway, even if at the early stages the price seems unbelievable.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ahmadjee: *
Has anyone actually bought something from ebay? How did it go?
I remember a while back, I bid for a notebook. Even though the starting bid was quiet low but in the final hours the bids were close to the price I could go get from the any online reliable dealer like buy.com/Amazon. So, IMO it didn't quiet work for me.
I guess what I am asking is, what kind of things you can buy off of ebay & get a good deal. I know electronics is out of the question.
[/QUOTE]
I hav bought many things off eBay, and sold many things as well. I got rid of a lot of my junk. It seems that there is always a buyer for something on eBay. Electronic items and musical equipment, as well as CD's, Vinyl, as well as photographic equipment are all huge items on eBay. I had purchased a Digital camera from eBay a couple of years ago. It went very smoothly. I got a great deal on it, at least 400 dollars cheaper than if I would have bought it in a store. The item was brand new as well. I have sold some pretty large items on eBay as well (Musical instruments, etc). They are troublesome to pack though, so I prefer to sell and buy smaller items.
I have sold items mostly on eBay. I find it better for selling than for buying. However, we bought a printer off of eBay, and it was brand new as advertised, and some other computer components. Most were in stated condition.
However, my brother lost over $2000 bidding on a laptop that didnt exist. The person had a good rating but eBay was unable to locate the person to get the money back. I think my brother didnt report it to the card company on time either. He waited too long for them to deliver it. Therefore, sometimes good ratings dont mean much. A lot of people build up their ratings by buying items, rather than selling and so people think its a safe bet.
Best to check the fraud policy on your credit card regarding auctions, and also to make sure that a seller has a good rating as a Seller. Finally, for big purchases one should get a name and contact the seller by phone. Also email other buyers the seller has sold to, to get feedback. There are of course people that have very low ratings and are honest seller, but like someone else stated, auctions were the biggest scams people faced online.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ahmadjee: *
Has anyone actually bought something from ebay? How did it go?
I remember a while back, I bid for a notebook. Even though the starting bid was quiet low but in the final hours the bids were close to the price I could go get from the any online reliable dealer like buy.com/Amazon. So, IMO it didn't quiet work for me.
I guess what I am asking is, what kind of things you can buy off of ebay & get a good deal. I know electronics is out of the question.
[/QUOTE]
I have bought heaps. Most of my computer hardware actually. Got a Hp Netserver (Dual 1Ghz P!!!) for AUD890 (USD450) and a Compaq Proliant Server (P!!! 800Mhz) for about USD500. These are very small fractions of actuall prices and both came "dabba packed", with warrenty.
In other things I have bought two digital cameras (one came with a dodgy power supply which was quickly replaced by the seller), a remote controlled plane for my nephew, a router, a 19" monitor stand for US$10 :p etc etc.
As faisal bhai said only concentrate on items whose biddings are almost closing...wait for last 30 sec and then put your highest big, this way 1. you get the surprise last bid 2. You dont go back and bid more than you planned. You can follow items but just dont bid early, that has worked for me half a dozen times.
if u do deal...make sure u strictly adhere to the rules and keep yourself safe.
consider this:1) a buyer buys $450 item on a fraud credit card and makes u ship it to lithuania. and then the ebay team charges it back to u.
2) Seller never ships an item..and just disappears..the ebay team does give u a refund...but deducts $25 as processing fees...and only covers up to $200. So u can only get a $175 maximum claim.
my friend usually buy thing on ebay, but one time he wanted to buy Xbox and the other guy didn’t send one like he had good rating and every thing so i don’t like to buy things over ebay u never know. but i also think u can take change. u never know
like he had good rating and every thing so i don’t like to buy things over ebay u never know. but i also think u can take change. u never know 