Tell me some EBAY stories...

[Doesney]

good and bad. I think I may be the last person that has not tried ebay. I found something I want but I'm sure it will fetch over 300.00 and I am a little nervous starting off with a large purchase. Any good or bad stories?

 

[peg2001]

I've purchased several things off of E-bay. Here's my tips:

1. Read the feedback. Only bid on items from sellers with plenty of positive feedback and little or no negative feedback (take time to read the negative feedback, sometimes the seller is able to explain what happened and how they corrected it).

2. Read the description. Then, read the description again. Ask any questions you have of the seller BEFORE you bid. Read the payment instructions. Can you abide by the payment instructions? Some sellers want money orders (another expense for you), many won't take personal checks, some want to be paid via Paypal, etc. Be sure you are ok with how they want to be paid. This is where a lot of transactions break down.

3. Decide on the maximum you are willing to pay and do NOT go above that. Some folks get caught up in the excitement of bidding and end up paying too much. You don't want buyers remorse! Make sure to factor in the cost of shipping. Some sellers ask too much for shipping, so I always factor that into my bid (and bid less).

4. If you win, be ready to pay right away. Sellers get discouraged with buyers who win and take weeks to pay. That's not fair. I usually send payment or use Paypal the same day the auction closes.

I've heard horror stories but all of my transactions have gone smoothly. Sometimes the shipment seems a little slow so communication is very important. Some sellers ship once a week so if you win and pay on Monday and they don't ship until Friday, it can seem like a LONG time if you don't already know their shipment schedule.

Good luck,
Peggy

 

[Melora]

Peg has lots of good advice.

My favorite one when I am bidding is DO NOT BID until the end. Don't get into a bidding war. (Unless you are bidding on one of our aucitons then go at it!! )

I watch people bidding on my auctions and one will bid then the other will go and outbid them and then the other comes back in....pretty soon they have driven the price WAAAAAY up. GREAT for me, but stupid on the part of the buyer. I personally snipe the auctions I want very badly, which means putting my bid in with an outside service that bids for me 6 seconds before the auction ends.... but since I live on ebay for work (and fun!) its worth it..otherwise, bid close to the end and put in your maximum bid. When you get into a bidding war you tend to over bid and end up spending way more than you intended.

Feeback is very important..we take ours very seriously (1600+....100% positive). I was an idiot and bought something from someone who has a history of being slow and now I still do have what I bought 6+ weeks later.. This is the only time this has happened but I am pretty mad about it. My hubby says he is going to call the guy on the phone but has yet to do it.

Ask ahead of time for the shipping cost.... some sellers WAY over charge you. Hubby bought something and right in the auction the seller stated that if you don't like his shipping charges don't bid... well when we got the item that he spent $1.50 to ship and we paid him $5 we knew what he was talking about... GRRRR!

Always write to the seller if there are problems..so much bad feedback because people don't communicate!

 

[DisneyCP2002]

I've bought and sold on ebay for quiet a few years now. I love being able to find some very unique items to purchase. I think my best auction has been probably 3 years ago when I sold a Bronty the dinosaur(TY beanie) for around $325. Ebay can become very addicting.

 

[Towncrier]

A co-worker and good friend just purchased an automobile on ebay on Saturday for nearly $10,000.00

Needless to say, he is a basket case worrying about completing this transaction. I can't say that I don't blame him. That's a lot of money to send to a complete stranger for something that you've never seen firsthand.

As far as advice, I agree with Melora. Do NOT place any bids until the final moments of an auction.

 

[Cinders]

There is a HUGE thread about Ebay selling on the Budget Board.

 

[disneychrista]

Decide on the maximum you are willing to pay and do NOT go above that.

And do not forget to take into account shipping and handling when you do this. If the buyer does not state s/h on their auction or does not use the calculated shipping tool on the auction, you can use the contact seller link to find out. If the seller won't let you know the s/h DO NOT BID.

Also when it come to s/h it is not unusual that a buyer will charge an additional amount for supplies, fees, etc in their handling. Don't forget it cost money to ship you the item above and beyound the actual postage.

 

[pokiemomo181]

I have shopped ebay for years, so far all good experiences. Like the others said. Bid late, make sure you add in shipping when thinking about your bid. That way you don't pay too much for an item. Some really rake you on shipping. I avoid those auctions. I only bid on the ones with shipping listed as actual shipping only and those that have the shipping calculatoors on their site. That way you know what shipping is going to be. I don't like suprises.


Pokie

 

[Melora]

As as seller, its genreally considered OK to charge $1-2 over the actual post office shipping cost if we are shipping you an item that requires us to buy a box or packing supplies. We never charge more than what it actually costs us, but to safely send out some tiems, we purchase the proper size box and occasionally bubble wrap or air pillows. So far no complaints about the prices we charge...

OH wait..there was this ditzy lady who complained we reamed her on shipping charges. She bought a $90 platter from us and we charged her $10 to ship. That was $8.00 for the shipping and about $2.00 for insurance. We have a program at home that lets us print out the postage but it does not show up on the actual paper we tape to the box for mailing. We have to go to the post office for insurance so there was an insurance tag on her box marked $2.20 (insurance written in huge red letters) and she figured we only spent that amount to ship it. Hubby explained and she understood but that was after she gave us a postive feedback with "overcharged for shipping" written in it.

 

[disneychrista]

Originally posted by Melora
she gave us a postive feedback with "overcharged for shipping" written in it.

I had a buyer who had the wrong email address on her account so all invoices and requests were sent to the wrong email. She neg'd me because of it, saying I didnt respond to her emails (she mailed once and I did reply), and did not send an invoice, etc (I had copies of everthing).

Sometimes you can not judge a seller from their feedback because some buyers will neg (or put postive and leave a negatve remark) out of spite.