Does anybody here do ebay?

[ellenrr]

what is your experience - positive, negative?

thanks.

[darkangel218]

1. I have, in the past.

Are you planning to sell or buy?

[B Calm]

2. Negative!

[sonofspy777]

3. caveat emptor!

but I've gotten many great deals, and still use it.

[PowerToThePeople]

4. mixed

I have been burned and have found things that are not available locally.

I try to stick with vendors I have done good business with prior.

Overall it has been good, but one bad purchase can sting. I got a bad car part that I needed recently, the hassle of returning it and ordering another replacement was a big headache.

[JudyM]

28. Me too! An exhaust part. Paid for the installation and it is rubbing against other metal parts.

Poorly formed. After all the hassle, it'd be more of a hassle to uninstall it and send it back for a new one.

[mnhtnbb]

5. Used it a lot in the past with 99% satisfaction--mostly as a buyer.

Also used it to sell some things, but haven't for a long time.

Check the seller's ratings. Check shipping costs. If you are concerned about examining the item, only
buy if the seller will let you return it. Buy where you know the market and have a feel for what constitutes
quality/value.

[katmondoo]

7. There is so much for sale that as a seller you have a problem

unless you have some very popular items to sell just be a buyer

[pipoman]

6. For 20 years

For consumer products paying attention to where things are shipping from and the feedback of the seller. For antiques and collectibles it is important to know what you're doing as with buying them anywhere....there are fakes everywhere....also watching feedback there is important.

Over 20 years of careful shopping and thousands of purchases, I have had few issues...probably count them on 1 hand and all but 2 were my fault for not reading the description....

Paying with paypal improves ability to resolve issues.

[juxtaposed]

8. I sold things on ebay back when it first came out, late 90's.

It has changed a lot over the years, back then there was no paypal which was great everyone one would pay with personal checks, never had one bounce. Stopped selling years ago but, still buy from time to time. They now have a lot of different options for sellers, buy it now, make an offer, live auctions from auction houses, and buyer protections.
I only have a few horror stories related to ebay. Mostly positive is what I've found.

[enough]

9. We have used it for years for everything from "vintage" clothing to musical instruments.

Books, dishes, etc. etc. etc.

We have also sold a few things with good success.

In all this time there have only been a couple of bad experiences, and they were resolved satisfactorily after some annoying hassle.

But you do have to be careful, pay attention, and don't make any assumptions about what you're buying. Look at all the details of the listing very carefully. If a thing turns out not to be what you expected, it's usually because you didn't look at the listing closely enough. If you can't tell exactly what it is and what condition it is in, don't buy it. Avoid wishful thinking.

[ebayfool]

10. Guess!

Not as much as I used to, but I used to live in the mountains in an isolated former stagecoach way station & it was the ONLY way to get some things I wanted!

Almost always had good experiences, but you got keep an eye on feedback to keep it that way.

1st eBay buy was a sleeve ironing board for the old cowboy that put me onto the stage stop!

edit to add:

Never, ever let yourself get into a bidding war! Set a max price, check feedback, and bid late to avoid bid creep.
Lotsa good tips in this thread too!

[Hortensis]

27. That last about bidding. My worst experience with

e-bay overall actually is having friends constantly telling me that they "won" an item.

[WillowTree]

66. I prevent the bidding war syndrome.......

.......by never bidding before the last minute if I can help it. Literally, within the last 60 seconds, I enter the amount that's the most I'm willing to pay (taking any shipping charges into account, as well). If someone has already entered a max bid that's more than that, there isn't time for me to talk myself into compromising what I had decided was the most I'd pay and entering a new bid. If someone else manages to outbid me at that point, more power to 'em. They wanted it more than I did.

But I don't bid before that last minute unless I know I won't be able to get online at the end of the auction and it's something I really need or want or will have difficulty finding later. Why drive up the price ahead of time, giving others a chance to up the bid, and then I raise it and then........? Foolish. Last minute is the only way to go for me. BIN listings are even better.

[onecent]

71. You are right on WillowTree!!!!

[dorkzilla]

11. Seller long ago, buyer weekly!

I collect antique (Victorian and Edwardian) fine jewelry and early- to mid-20th century costume jewelry. I’ve only had ONE problem, years ago. You have to pay attention to their score, their return policy and how long they’ve been selling, that will give you a good idea of trustworthiness.

Also, if you’re trying to win something, I highly recommend esnipe.com. I win 90% of what I’m after using their service, which “snipes” the auction with your bid with 6 seconds left. If your bid high enough, you’ll win without jacking up the selling price.

[ebayfool]

12. Yes!

I used auctionsniper!

[dorkzilla]

20. How are they?

I’ve only used esnipe, and I love it. Should I give auctionsniper a go? How do they charge for their service? Esnipe charges $15 for 1500 points which usually lasts me a few months...and I bid at LEAST 5 times a week.

[ebayfool]

23. Haven't done eBay in a good long while ...

but last I used auctionsniper it ran 25 cents a win. I checked & it's gone up some but not by much. Very reliable too.

http://www.auctionsniper.com/help/auction-sniper-pricing/

New users are not charged for the first three auctions they win using Auction Sniper. Thereafter, we charge only 1% of the final auction price with a minimum fee of $0.25 USD and a maximum fee of $9.95 USD for only the auctions that you win. Please review the chart below.

Item Amount Fee
Auction won that ended at $25.00 USD or less $0.25 USD
Auction won that ended between $25.01 and $995.00 USD 1% of final price
Auction won that ended at $995.01 or more $9.95 USD

[dorkzilla]

24. Sounds identical to esnipe

1% of hammer not to exceed $10. No charge for losing bids.

[ebayfool]

41. TY - Imma check 'em out! n/t

[emulatorloo]

58. esnipe user here, love it!

[KittyWampus]

15. I did same for years. I bought and resold Victorian Jewelry:

I bought stuff that wasn't photographed well, not listed properly or had small issues I could fix.

Then I resold it with very good photos & descriptions.

Didn't turn a huge profit at all, but I did ultimately end up with a few really nice pieces for myself I couldn't have afforded any other way.

[dorkzilla]

22. That’s how I started off

Buying and reselling the same as you (badly photographed stuff was a boon!). I also used to search for listings with typos. Those were great.

I was a seller when they first started and for the first year I made a killing (enough to pay the mortgage!) - sold lots of WWII era stuff to customers in Japan, oddly. But it was when ebay was still a novelty.

The main dealer I buy my good antique jewelry from is in England...I get so much good stuff from her at bargain prices. My gorgeous 1 carat diamond art deco engagement ring was less than $1,000 - it would have been at least $5k from my vintage jewelry dealer. She doesn’t list the cut or clarity, so you have to use the zoom feature with the photos to really examine the pieces. If you miss something, she’ll take it back.

I LOVE ebay

[3catwoman3]

30. Who is that seller?

If you don't mind saying.

[dorkzilla]

37. Let my little secret out? GASP

You’ll have to torture me to get that information.

[KittyWampus]

34. Yup, I made some mistakes but my local antique jewelry dealer whom I "horse-trade"

with told me that's the best way to learn.

And I have my list of "typos" to search for somewheres too. LOL!

It tickles me to wonder if we ever bid on the same item.

I love the research that goes into knowing what each piece is; when it was made, by whom, where and why.

[dorkzilla]

40. The research is my favorite part!

I’m actually a certified personal property appraiser (antiques and fine art) though I haven’t practiced in a while. It takes a long time to build up a practice and I didn’t have the financial bandwidth to do it. I do appraisals for friends and family but that is about it. But I employ my skills in the treasure hunt...mostly in thrift stores and the like and for my own love of collecting. I love to see that astonished look on faces when I hold up something and tell them what the object is (“this is a hand-tinted engraving from the early 18th century”) and they ask “how much did you pay for it?” “$1” I tell them, and they groan...”how do you DO that?”. Several thousand dollars in education and many years working in the auction business is how!

It would be funny if we actually did bid against each other somewhere along the line!

[shanti]

50. definitely second that on esnipe!

it's the only way to go, AFAIC. 6 seconds is too long for me though, i use 2 seconds and it works a charm.

[KittyWampus]

13. Overwhemingly positive. I made money on Ebay & gotten very good deals.

I got my laptop computer on Ebay for a steal from a great dealer who sells refurbished business laptops.

You have several tools to use for investigating Sellers. Use them.

As a Seller myself, I only had one bad experience.

There are some areas where Ebay shines:

Refurbished Laptops/Tablets- provided you know what you need
Antique Jewelry- provided you know what you are looking at and can spot red flags/problems
Antique Lace Scraps & Cutter Quilts- just don't get into bidding wars
Clothing- provided you know the brand/sizing and read description/ask questions

[Mnpaul]

49. I've had good luck buying tablets on ebay

One price was so low that it made me feel guilty. I never had a surprise. I always received exactly what I ordered.

[meaculpa2011]

14. Overwhelmingly positive...

and I've been buying and selling (a bit) for 15 years.

I even sold a boat 12 years ago. I've been doing a Sandy-related renovation for the past 3 years and saved a considerable amount on power tools and specialty equipment (drywall lift, PEX tools, etc.) that I'll sell on eBay when the reno is done. Or maybe I'll buy another Sandy house and do the whole thing again.

Just bought a load tester and it arrived in three days.

[madokie]

16. eBay and Paypal

and yes my experience has been a positive one. Amazon on the other hand not so much.

I'm close to 300 items I've purchased on eBay so far

[NorthCarolina]

17. Better for buyers than sellers.

eom

[TheBlackAdder]

18. Do not buy any software from it. But, generally it's been good.

.


I learned that the hard way, buying Windows 7 Professional.


There are a lot of bootleg keys floating around, that will give temporary extended trials. Then, by the time you are notified, it's too late to either get the money back, or the guy flees. People also sell educational copies of software, ones that aren't marked with an EDU logo, and then you are stuck. A few years ago, Adode software was sold this way and I believe the company had people check the site for these scams from time to time.


I've noticed a correlation between overstock auctions and the posting of items on-line. All of a sudden, multiple sellers will offer the same item, that's old stock or could have been in a building with a flood, fire, insects, etc. You have to know what you are buying. Sellers will but watermarks on images because scammers would lift images, or get them from a manufacturer or web, and then use them to make their products look legit. Actual photos of the item are better to see. There's a little bit of a learning curve, but follow the tips at the bottom and you'll be fine.


In my family, my sister got burned buying collectibles from Germany a few times. No issues from Pacific rim sales, or other EU countries--Germany seems to be troubled.


I bought a minivan there once, it was OK for the price, but looking later, you could tell that things were rigged on it. Some of the cars sold, like anywhere else, could be salvaged, and the title cleaned by passing it from the south through Colorado or a few other states. There's a 3-4 state hop these cars take to clean up any bad titles. Sometimes, they don't show up in Car-Fax reports. But, this can happen anywhere, including the car sellers down the street, and even at large dealers.


======



The key: When buying things, make sure the seller is a 99.5 or higher rating and has several hundred or more sales. Also, make sure they've been around for several years, and not some fly-by-night seller that pops up, dumps a bunch of wares, and then skives off.


To increase your odds of winning a bid: Synch you computer time with the official eBay time. If you have a reliable fiOS connection or other high-speed broadband, you refresh your screen and count the seconds it takes to get the timestamp update. Then add 2-3 seconds for back-end processing. Generally, it's around 5-7 seconds before the sale ends is the minimum time to place you order. 8-10 seconds is almost perfect. Sit with 2 screens, one to refresh the item online and the other with the sale trigger waiting to be pulled, siting on the Place Order screen. When you click the buy, close to the end time, the other people won't see the update until the auction ends. This is called sniping, because you are waiting patiently to take your best shot. Low activity sales will be easier to snipe, but you can check the page count or how many watchers there are to determine how hot a product is, but always assume someone is camping out on the item, just like you.


.

[Denzil_DC]

19. Mostly positive.

The balance has shifted very much in favor of the buyer rather than the seller over the years - in some ways unfairly so for honest sellers. For instance, quite a while back the system was changed so that sellers were unable to give buyers negative feedback - for some reason, a lot of people used to get hung up on their ratings, and unscrupulous sellers could try to hold people to ransom under threat of negging to get them to remedy negative feedback.

I've managed to get many great bargains there over the years, some of relatively large value, some small. You just have to be careful, check out a seller's feedback thoroughly, and make sure you conduct all correspondence through eBay's internal email system so there's an unarguable record of what's gone on. I've still managed to come a cropper on just a couple of occasions.

I bought a secondhand laptop from one guy, who then totally disappeared and the laptop never arrived. In the end, I suspect he'd suffered some tragedy, as this was totally out of character. After a little effort and time, I got a full refund. I write that one off to sheer bad luck all round.

In the same period, once it became evident that I was unlikely to receive that laptop, I bought another one from a different seller. He sent me a visually very similar but unsuitable model. I lodged a formal "Item not as described" complaint. He first offered me a discount on the wrong laptop he'd sent, but it just wasn't suitable for what I needed. He promised a refund once I returned the laptop. I sent it back via tracked carrier. It was signed for at his dwelling. The refund never materialized after a couple of promises, so I took it further with eBay. They pressed him to make the refund, he agreed, but never did, so eBay refunded me, presumably having recovered the money from his PayPal account. It was frustrating and took a while to work through, and I ended up out of pocket for the return carriage fee. The seller was banned from eBay, no doubt mainly as a result of this snarled-up transaction, but probably because I pointed out to eBay when they contacted me that he was registered as a non-business seller, but in his first email to me he referred to a mistake by his "packaging department" - which I suspect was a relative at the kitchen table.

A while later, I bought another similar laptop, and it was all totally as described and there were no hitches at all.

There've been one or two other times when somebody's sent me the wrong more minor item - I've had no problems getting a rapid refund or redress on those occasions. This is out of a couple of hundred transactions, so I wouldn't have been too unhappy with that record if I'd been using a conventional online seller.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Been a buyer on Ebay since 1996. Still go there first to

buy items like bobbins for my sewing machine. Only had one bad experience out of about 400 transactions. And even after another and multiple emails, I finally received my book.

[stage left]

25. I've bought quite a few things on Ebay lately.

and have been very satisfied with them. I'm thinking about trying to sell a couple of things.

[FreakinDJ]

26. It took a shit about a year ago

Ain't worth your time hardly anymore. Just a bunch cheap junk from China. Might as well go down to the dollar store

[B Calm]

44. Not including all the scammers.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

29. Can't deal with auctions. Everyone waits until last minute then the price...

the item is sold $100 more. I just "Buy Now."

I haven't sold anything, but I buy stuff that can't be replaced because they have been phased out. For instance, rather than buy a new camera, I can go to ebay to find replacement batteries. Or, I play with a specific tennis racquet. When I cracked one, the only place I could find a replacement was on ebay. It was used, but almost half priced. It's better to play with the same racquet during a match than changing mid-match after you've broken strings.

I also check the market value of gold. A broker might tell you a coin is worth $1000, but if it's being sold on ebay for $750, then the market value is $750.

[L. Coyote]

31. Very positive, good place to sell and buy. Amazing what sells. Site has great features.

I had a yard full of cactus in AZ, shipped the cuttings to eBay buyers for $100 a box. Laughed all the way to the bank, you can't give them away in AZ.

One feature is searching only sold items, so you see what they are really worth.

[Demit]

60. Searching for what items have sold for: that's the best advice.

I have a friend who is something of a hoarder. She is constantly boasting about how much the things in her collections are "worth" because that's what she sees them selling for in stores and on online sites. I keep telling her they're not worth any amount until they're sold. The worth is what the last buyer paid; that's how you set your price.

[L. Coyote]

67. Saw a maple slab for $4,700, saw what smaller ones sold for here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3410x2-Kiln-Dried-Maple-Slab-Unique-Desktop-Countertop-/272031951806

A tree fell and i have the trunk, so I wondered.

[Tom_Foolery]

32. I've selling on eBay for almost 17 years...

I've shipped almost 8,000 packages all over the world. I would say that 99.99% of my dealings have been positive. Once in a while, I run into a bad situation; but all I have to do is give the money back after the buyer returns the item.

[3catwoman3]

33. I have been quite happy with eBay.

Many, many purchases of Lois Hill jewelry and watches - beats retail prices by a mile. Frye boots, Chico's clothing, Wedgwood, and vintage apothecary jars. Also, a couple of single diamond stud earrings.

I have made a few poor choices, which I tend to chalk up to impulse and not reading descriptions carefully enough. I am comfortable buying Chico's and Frye because the sizes are consistent, and I know what fits me.

[Shrike47]

35. Generally quite positive, as a buyer.

Good place to get items that are no longer manufactured, like Corningware casserole dishes. I got a great Revereware frying pan that my husband loves.

[Bayard]

36. Very positive

Bought everything from artwork to dog collars. Purchased a lot of my xmas gifts from there, got a beautiful one-of-a-kind heavy wood box with different species of carved fish on it. Estate sale. My husband loved it.

[Demonaut]

38. since 2001, it's ok but read the reviews on the sellers, lots there to tell you if it's trustworthy

[COLGATE4]

39. Have done it for years, both as buyer and seller.

My experience has been universally positive. You just need to be aware of the old saying 'buyer beware' - there is no guarantee that the representations made by sellers are accurate. Checking the Sellers' record with E Bay is the best way to know you're doing business with a reputable seller. Otherwise, it's a great place to find some interesting stuff.

[Lee-Lee]

42. I've done it for years as a seller, at times my only income. My tips

Learn every think you can about shipping- rates, methods, how to save, etc. Sign up with Fedex as a ground customer and offer ground shipping on things over about 6-7 pounds as it is usually cheaper.

Learn about USPS regional rate boxes. Best kept secret in shipping. Use them to your advantage.

Always, no matter what, ship with a tracking number. If it's an item valued at over $200 get insurnace and require a signature for delivery. Otherwise the scam artists will claim they never received it and get a refund.

Use the iPhone or android app to list. It's so much faster and easier to list that way taking pictures with the device than using a digital camera and importing pictures.

Take the extra time to write good, accurate descriptions. Take the extra time to add good, clear photos.

Ship fast. As soon as you take the picture have the item prepped and in a box so you can ship quick.

Never sell women's clothing, handbags, jewelry or anything like that. You get the worst, hardest to deal with customers most likely to cause you grief.

Know what you are selling. Take the time to research it before listing so you get it right. One of the best tools is searching closed auctions- next to the search bar click advanced and then click completed auctions. Prices listed in red didn't sell so were too high, green means it sold and gives you an idea where yours will sell. Pay attention to how the high sellers wrote listings and what category they used.

Don't sell used phones and computers. Too many scammers.

If your new don't offer overseas shipping. Once you have feedback built up you will be offered a chance to use the eBay overseas shipping service- do it. Then eBay does all the customs paperwork and overseas shipping and takes the liability if something goes wrong and it doesn't cost you a cent. It's 100% the only way to ship overseas.

[Holly_Hobby]

43. I absolutely love Ebay

I have over 400 purchases since 2006, none of them bad. I got an open-box, top of the line Lenovo laptop for 1/3 of the retail and never a problem with it. I bought my wedding rings on Ebay for $1,025.00, I had them immediately appraised by a certified gemologist for over $8,000. 1.73 carats of F color VS1 diamonds set in 14K white gold. Astounding deal. There is no reason to pay retail for diamonds. All diamonds are old

Research sellers carefully, read carefully, ask questions.

[Vinca]

45. I've been doing ebay off an on since the late 1990's.

The early days were absolutely wonderful. A small seller could make a decent living. Unfortunately, since the Meg Whitman days, ebay has morphed into Amazon with auctions. I finally gave up and went back to brick and mortar for my primary revenue for selling antiques and collectibles. I sell a few things on ebay, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if someone told me I could never sell there again.

[laundry_queen]

46. Used to love it

been on eBay since 2001. I've done both buying and selling. Stopped selling when they stopped letting sellers leave negative feedback. I have perfect feedback. Had great experiences selling. Mostly good experiences buying with a few exceptions...

I've only left negative feedback a couple of times. Once a seller tried to scam me with lying about international shipping. Essentially, they offered cheap shipping on the listing. When I purchased cheap shipping, they told me it was now unavailable and I'd have to pay more for shipping (like from $5 to over $25 for a $20 item). I told them they had to stick by the terms of the listing and refused to pay more...and stated I wanted the shipping I bought in the listing. They said okay, and marked it shipped. Then a day later they told me the package was returned damaged and that they wouldn't send me the package unless I purchased the more expensive shipping. I call bullshit that the package was damaged and returned in one day. So I asked for my money back. They didn't want to give me my money back so I instantly neg'ed them and filed a complaint with paypal (like, c'mon, I don't have time for this bullshit mind game stuff, just ship the goddamn package). Well, the seller went ballistic, started email stalking me, telling me I was ruining his business, I was costing him his seller status because my neg put him over the top...he replied to my neg in all caps stating he was not scamming me by trying to get more shipping money out of me, that I was some dumbass that didn't know how to read the terms and that I was a horrible buyer. Kept messaging me through ebay, and email. I had to block him eventually. I filed another complaint against him too. I eventually got my money back. But boy was I pissed. It was a Christmas present that my daughter ended up not getting in time for Christmas because by the time I got my money back and found another one and got that one shipped...ugh! It took a long time for me to go back to eBay after that.

I find now eBay has so much cheap crap from China. So, now I go to eBay for cheap crap from China. It used to be I'd go there if I needed something that was difficult to find where I live. Now, eBay almost never has it anyway. Gone are the days where you could find everything on eBay. Lots of the good sellers are gone now. So, I think eBay is okay for small, cheap things. I wouldn't buy anything larger than $50. Or from anyone with less that 99.5% feedback. But that's just my personal threshold.

[Texasgal]

47. I buy alot of things on Ebay.

I have had nothing but positive experiences.

I've never sold anything.

[shanti]

48. oh yes

a bit too much too, lol. i prefer it to amazon. i've only had a couple of negative experiences in nearly 1000 purchases, both early on. when i see something i want, i will usually look on ebay to see if i can find it cheaper, and usually can. i stick to sellers in the US mostly, china crap is china crap, whether you purchase it on ebay or elsewhere. i've never been a seller, only a buyer. oh, and if you REALLY want something, but don't want to get into a bidding war (ugh), think about signing up with esnipe. i've gotten some great deals that way, and you can relax.

of course, YMMV. there are lots of people who hate ebay.

[GP6971]

51. My experience has been positive

I look for Lionel parts for rebuilding and restoring old model trains from the 50s.

[ellenrr]

68. my father used to rebuild old model trains-- he is thinking of trying to sell

a dollhouse he made on ebay or similar.
I should see about selling his stamp collection.

My own possible purchase is much more mundane.
I was checking the relative qualities of different frying pans, and one on ebay came up. that is what started my question.

I forgot to ask-- one has to pay to join, correct?

[GP6971]

72. Not that I recall

but I joined years ago so things may have changed

[Hoyt]

52. Have sold musical instruments, jewelry, etc., on eBay. Always got more than I expected.

The fee is worth it to get to a larger market and get bids that represent the real value of the product. Also had good experience buying stuff, although try to stick with sellers with high ratings.

[Codeine]

53. I bought most of my basses on eBay.

People get excited and buy instruments they never learn to play. After a few years of them gathering dust they unload them for a pittance online.

A little cleanup, new strings, and a proper setup and I get great new toys for far less than retail.

I've also bought a lot of boardgames (wargames and euros) this way, but after I got a couple that reeked of cigarettes I cut back my purchases to items specifically described as being from non-smoking homes. Same caveat with books.

[wilt the stilt]

54. I use it constantly

I'm selling an iphone right now and I just bought a chip for my Audi. You can get some incredible stereo equipment. I do think as a seller the percentage has gotten too high. That being said I like it alot.

[Phentex]

55. Occasional buyer; buy it now only; only one sketchy experience...

I buy things that are hard for me to find locally without a hassle drive. For example, I can get vacuum cleaner bags for an older model much cheaper on ebay than going to the store where they may or may not be in stock. I have had good luck with books and audio books. The one weird experience was a book that I thought would never arrive. Other than that, it's been positive for me.

[napi21]

56. 98% good.

Used to sell a lot on Ebay and have had no problems at all. Haven't sold much lately. My fault for not getting my act together. I've bought quite a bit over the years with no problems either.

My son buys a lot, and has gotten burned several times. Mostly because the sellers didn't really know what they had. Mostly electronic parts they though would fit a certain model & didn't.

[emulatorloo]

57. I buy. All good except for a couple of guys. eBay/PayPal returned my money and banned them

This is 2 transactions out of many wonderful transactions I've had.

Suggestions:

Check the sellers feedback
Be suspicious of generic pics, i.e. a pic from the apple site rather than the actual Mac on sale
First time sellers w no feedback. I have bought from first time sellers but did a lot of pre-bid pm'ing to get a handle on their character

[MichMan]

59. Love it!

Sold several items over the year, but mostly participate as a buyer. Bought hundreds of items and only had a couple issues on low cost items.



On the stuff I sold, I doubt if anyone around here would have been interested, so it was positive. I buy items like vintage car parts, books, or auto racing memorabilia that simply could not be found anywhere else.

Used to use a sniping service, but stopped several years ago. On most items I either buy it now or often am the only bidder.

When searching for car parts, I do get annoyed by all the new stuff that clogs up the listings because the sellers keyworded every single make of car. Also on those, you need to know what you are buying; a lot of sellers just aren't experts and think parts fits certain cars when I know otherwise.

[dembotoz]

61. generally positive...teacher resources and warhammer crap(kids)

saved a crap load of money on teacher stuff.

warhammer--kids had some disappointment but they continue to use it

[blogslut]

62. I never sell or participate in auctions.

I always go with 'Buy Now' and I only buy from sellers with a 98% or above rating. I have always been pleased. Normally I buy hardware like used laptops, game consoles and the parts and doodads to keep them running. I occasionally buy vintage knickknacks such as teacups because I love old teacups.

As I said, I refine my search to 'Buy Now' but I also refine it further to 'US Only' because I don't want to wait forever for items to arrive. I also read the shit out of the descriptions and I look for listings with ample photos that look as if the seller took them instead of snagging them off some website.

[BlueJazz]

63. Generally, pretty good. No hassels yet. Bought about 120 things without a hitch.

[DrDan]

64. have bought several items on ebay

be super careful - there are scams galore

deal only with sellers that have many ebay sales and have a high rating

use a credit card or paypal so you have a recourse if the purchased item does not show up

no real negative experiences

[MichMan]

65. paypal is a requirement

e bay and paypal favor buyers over sellers

[ellenrr]

69. I would be participating as a buyer- and I forgot to ask

there is a fee to join, correct?

Thanks a whole lot for all your input.
reading it all, and being a buyer, it seems that the positives outweigh the negatives.
given of course, that I am careful.

[MichMan]

75. No fee n/t

[onecent]

70. VERY POSITIVE. The only time it was not positive is the time I

ordered a book and I could not get the cigarette smell out of it. I even put it out in the wind and the drops of rain, and gave it a few days to air out. The send another to replace it without asking for it back. I HAD to throw it away---I, too, used to be a smoker, but this book was horrid...

If you have any problems, there is a number to call...and it is all handled well if the seller won't help
Also if you got bit, leave an insane negative feedback...that is their savior right thier...their feedback

[bigwillq]

73. Never (nt)

[JCMach1]

74. In recent years it has gone downhill majorly as a buyer and a seller...

Changing policies and what are essentailly commercial-like sellers who don't test their items have made it an unpleasant experience.

It used to mostly be person to person auctions. It just isn't any more. because of the system, feedback is virtually useless.

[bkkyosemite]

76. positive but make sure the rating of the one

you are buying from is a good one. You can read the comments on that seller.

[grasswire]

77. most of you people don't know we have an ebay topic group on DU??

Come on over. It's called EBay, Collectors, Flea Market & Antiques.

[L. Coyote]

79. the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1026

[roody]

78. Yes. I buy clothes.

[Lifelong Protester]

80. Yes, I've bought vintage

jewelry, Coach purses, and Hermes scarves. I've had a few bummer experiences, but mostly positive (the Chanel stuff is always a challenge).

[ohnoyoudidnt]

81. I have always gotten what I ordered as it was described

in a timely manner. I do tend to stay away from sellers with low ratings. I bid just low enough to get the item on my buy list and then check minutes before the auction ends and bid at my max desired price.

[Liberal_in_LA]

82. I do. Buy a few trinkets a year.usedto buy and sell quite a bit

So much stuff for sale, prices are depressed. That rare trinket that mught have sold for a good price... Ten others are selling identical.

Good for the buyer..