Am I the only one that doesn't "get" Ebay??

[corie161]

Ebay has it's place...for items you can't always just run out and buy. I have been scrapbooking with a certain color Creative Memories scrapbook that they no longer sell, so I will be looking for it on Ebay. That's about the only choice.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I buy a lot of NIB or NWT - I buy what I cannot find in the stores or find it cheaper on eBay.

Like: Electrolux Power Nozzle - New in Stores $325, Reconditioned $125, new on eBay: $115!

I save over $200 for new or save $10 from the used price. To me, that makes bouko cents!

 

[Laurajean1014]

My friend apid for her pool to be installed this year from the profits she made on ebay.

I would not count on this as the primary income, but it makes for some great spare change......$$$$

 

[N.Bailey]

Mostly, I buy new, sealed, video games for my son. Games that are pretty newly released sell for $50, plus $3.00 tax. I can get that same game on release day for $40 including shipping. After awhile, the new release titles are reduced in price and I can some on eBay for $20 to $25 (shipped) and the same game is still $50 in the store. I've never been ripped off (knocking wood) and I've only got the best things to say about the most of the people I've had contact with thru the years.

I also buy a lot of DVD's this way. Always new and sealed. It's getting more difficult though because so many are imports from Asia and I'm not interested in those.

I don't sell a lot, but I have sold a few things. It was years ago and I forget how much I paid for the Hooked on Phonics program, but I'd guess from $200 to $300. My son has a learning disability, so I thought it would work. I liked the program, but if you didn't get this step completely, you weren't suppose to move on. So, we'd spend lots of time covering the same thing over, and over, and over, and over. It was just too tedious and wasn't working. I sold it on eBay (partly used, but much of it new) for about $10 less than what I paid for it. Like I said, today I can't remember the exact amounts, but I can remember how excited I was back then! I'll take that to just giving it away. I do that most of the time though.

 

[DVCLiz]

I was leery of Ebay too, until I realized I could replace an entire set of sterling silver for a fraction of the cost at my local department store or china replacement service. I bought some sterling silver pieces for as little as $10.00 per spoon. I've really enjoyed the "thrill of the hunt", and if I saw something I wanted, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from Ebay.

Now I'm not brave enough to try to sell, because it seems like a real hassle to me, so I'm trying a third party. A business in my hometown will sell your stuff for you, with a 35/65 split of the profits. So I give up 35% of my profit, but I don't have to photograph, list, pay for the listing, package or ship to the customer, and anything that goes wrong is covered by soemone else, not me. I'll let you know how it goes - my first item is up now!!!!

 

[bajanswife]

Ebay has it's place...for items you can't always just run out and buy.

Exactly! There are certain things I just cannot buy in Barbados at all, so my only choice is online. If it's something I don't need new (like the riding pants I bought for my little ones to try out pony riding in - much more comfortable than jeans) or something new that's selling much cheaper on e-Bay (like the tiny boots and riding helmets), then it's way worth it. I have to pay the shipping anyway, no matter who I buy these things from.

If I lived somehwere where more stuff was readily available cheaply, I know i wouldn't use e-Bay as much.

I only buy - I don't (can't) sell, and it wouldn't be worth it for me. But I can see how it is for some people.

 

[diznygirl]

Yup - we use it all the time for things they just don't make anymore that you can't go to the store and buy. Remember that toy from your childhood? Think you kids would like to play with it now? But your mom threw it away? Well, search for it on ebay!!

And then there is all that limited edition Creative Memories stuff. If you didn't get it from your consultant, or don't have a consultant (or don't want one LOL!) then there is ebay!!

And then there are those things you didn't even know existed that turned out to be the perfect item for someone - like the time I was searching for a vanity set for myself and found a chrome vanity/manicure set for men with the Jaguar logo - perfect for my father!! Thank you ebay!

It has it's place in the world, and that's why it has taken off and really been successful. If you could get all this stuff at Target, you wouldn't need ebay.

 

[clh2]

We've never sold on ebay...

We love to buy on ebay though. We got a dining room table, with 6 chairs, solid oak. The style is awesome, and one I had never seen before. I fell in love with it.

We got this for $432.06, the cost to add the rental van and gas bumped the total cost to $522.

We love this table, there is no way we could have afforded the ~$3,000 that it would have cost new. Since the seller lives about 100 miles away, I doubt we would have "connected."

We've also purchased a rolltop desk, for about $400, it would have cost us about $1,000 new.

craigslist.org is also another online place to try to find stuff. No real success stories though - just not the furniture we are looking for.

 

[va32h]

This topic has me so bummed out! I belong to an ebay seller's group, and we go to soooo much trouble to make sure our stores are attractive and inviting and marketed well, and to find out that so many people still think that ebay is just a place for used stuff and junk and scams.....

It's very depressing! I really wish that ebay would do more to promote itself as a one-stop shopping resource, not an online flea market.

 

[N.Bailey]

This topic has me so bummed out! I belong to an ebay seller's group, and we go to soooo much trouble to make sure our stores are attractive and inviting and marketed well, and to find out that so many people still think that ebay is just a place for used stuff and junk and scams.....

It's very depressing! I really wish that ebay would do more to promote itself as a one-stop shopping resource, not an online flea market.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I've seen many praising eBay here. You're never going to get 100% agreement on anything in life.

 

[MoniqueU]

This topic has me so bummed out! I belong to an ebay seller's group, and we go to soooo much trouble to make sure our stores are attractive and inviting and marketed well, and to find out that so many people still think that ebay is just a place for used stuff and junk and scams.....

It's very depressing! I really wish that ebay would do more to promote itself as a one-stop shopping resource, not an online flea market.

Most people seemed to disagree with me. I knew I was in the minority, I just figured there had to be some holdouts out there.
I still don't see myself ever becoming a fan. I am not into collectibles. I don't scrapbook (the horror) And just don't get the site for the most part. One of the things that confuses me most is paypal. I can never remember how to use it or my password so that is a big PIA right there. I would much rather just use my AMEX and be done with stuff.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

My DH & I have bought many items over the last few years . Mostly hard to find, collectible stuff. Anythime I go buy something and the store doesn't have it, i go to E-Bay. I've never sold anything.

 

[Missy1961]

I love ebay! It's like anything else out there, you have to know the prices. I've been buying since 2000, and selling some stuff since 2001. I'm a collector of baseball cards, and ebay has been the perfect place. I've gotten some great cards in the last 5 years. I've sold a few of my extras to people, and in some cases I've gotten huge profits--I've sold individual cards for more than the whole box. And if you love Disney stuff, I really recommend buying thru their ebay stores. I got a tote bag with a picture of the castle on it for $10---last week I saw it at Disney for $24! Even with shipping & handling, it was still cheaper. And I've purchased clothing--but only new stuff. I got a great bathing suit for $20, and if I had bought it at a store it would have been $50. I just made sure the seller had a good return policy--they did--but it didn't matter--it fit perfectly.

Morale of the story is, ebay is a fun way to buy & sell. Just know what something is worth before you bid on it.

 

[va32h]

Most people seemed to disagree with me. I knew I was in the minority, I just figured there had to be some holdouts out there.

I still don't see myself ever becoming a fan. I am not into collectibles. I don't scrapbook (the horror) And just don't get the site for the most part. One of the things that confuses me most is paypal. I can never remember how to use it or my password so that is a big PIA right there. I would much rather just use my AMEX and be done with stuff.

Well yes and no. There is still the idea that it's a big garage sale.

Lots of sellers accept credit cards, not just PayPal. And it doesn't have to be collectibles or scrapbooking. Books, music, cookware, toys, tickets, new clothing, shoes, designer stuff, handbags, blankets, linens, furniture, literally anything you could think of, including the kitchen sink.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I dont even look at Ebay, I think it is a bunch of hogwash, I do my shopping in person so I can see, feel and decide if that product is right for me

WELL... in my case I knew I wanted the same pair of shoes but in a differnt color. They aren't available around here in the size I need so I hopped on Ebay and got them from a web store, brand new, for what I consider to be a bargain price.

 

[ZachnElli]

It's ok not to get Ebay, but I don't see the need to put it down either. It's not a big garage sale. I bet most of the stuff on there now is new. I've bought so many things that were new in box, just were discontinued. Like the crib set I bought this summer, it was in last fall's Disney catalog. By the time I new whether to get it in pink or blue, it was sold out. So I got it on ebay, brand new and still packaged. Dh and I just bought a piece of art on there last week, it was $700 cheaper than the original place I saw it at, yeah $700! That's no garage sale! BTW, I don't do garage sales either, I don't "get" those.