Ebay Advice

[david.c]

I know a number of you use Ebay, so am looking for a few pointers.  

My son has been saving his pocket money towards a 14" TV / VCR Combo and I have seen quite a few on Ebay. So, before we get tied into anything I was after any snippets of advice you may have.

Cheers Guys

David

[nlash]

Check out the sellers list of positive feedback then go with your instincts... personally i've always had good service from using the site and any products i've purchased have been as described

Good luck

[the bear]

Decide on your maximum price and stick to it - no matter what. If you lose the item to someone else be patient you'll get the next one at your price. Honestly I have seen people pay more than shop prices and pay postage on top.

With regard to the Seller, feedback is everything. The number next to the user name indicates the number of positive feedbacks that seller has had. Click on the number and you will see all their feedback. I have 65 postives with a 100% rating. This is good and something I work on protecting making sure if anything I undersell the goods and always ship on time. If they have less look at the negative and make up your mind if they are trading honestly.

If it is your first transaction dont buy from another virgin. This is always a good way dor you both to fumble about and end up disatisfied.

Click the item number against recent feedback and see what they are buying/selling. With something like a TV it might be a good idea if they hold sold similar goods.

Set up a Paypal account, it's a little complicated but worth doing. It means that you can pay immediately via a credit card and gets you a higher level of protection against fraud. Items sometimes got damaged in transit (or Post Office LDV) buy one that is offering insurance in the postage cost. You are then both protected.

Make sure you communicate with the seller, tell them when you've paid and how, request info on when the item has been shipped and get a consignment number, this means both of you can use track and trace. via the Royal Mail website.

It is great fun if you are cautious, most of the time it's  the buyer that causes the problems.

 

[Eccentric_Rich]

David,

My advice would be not to place a bid until 30 seconds before the auction closes. This is generally known as 'ebay sniping' and is quite common practice. If you put a bid in say 10 minutes before the auction closes chances are someone else is 'sniping' and will put a bid in and win the item in the last seconds - it's a case of hanging on as long as you dare with your own bid.

The bear's advice on deciding what your maximum price is and sticking to it is spot on. I've got carried away and bought things on ebay that I could of got cheaper elsewhere with a bit of Googling.

To be honest I would be reluctant to buy an item like a TV / VCR on Ebay because items are generally sold without a warranty and in any case getting hold of the seller can be difficult whether they have good feedback or not. For an electrical item I'd look for a well known online retailer like Empire Direct etc.

Richard.

[Jan Coombes]

I agree there can be pit falls.

If something goes wrong dont expect ebay to help you out.

My tips would be.

1. Bid at the very last momment.

2. Read the ad Very Carfully & Think the worse. If it does not say that is OK or working etc. Email the seller ask them, if they say Yes and you get the item and it is not, then you have some come back. (not a lot)

3. Pick the item up (if you can) you can fully test it before you hand over the money.

I got a digital camara off ebay, I went to pick it up and if I found out it did not work or there was a fault I would not have payed up. So they may leave bad feed back.

So what you still have you money.

Good luck it is a top web site.

Wish I have thought of it.

[markg]

if you are buying something expensive try to buy within collecting distance and pay cash, that way if is not what it says or dont work, you dont buy it and try www.bidnapper.com its free for a bit and is very handy!

[david.c]

Thanks Guys

I have seen a couple of local ones, which I had favoured for 2 reasons.

1/ Being able to check the goods before handing over cash.

2/ Saving anything from £10 to £25 for the postage.

My son is so excited, he has been saving hard since Christmas, and when I showed him Ebay last night he was like 'I'll buy that one for a pound right now' ...........bless him      

David

[Bananaman]

David

Personally I would think twice about buying a TV/Vid combo, they tend to be a bit (Crap), we got one a year or so ago & the video is begining to cause problems. If you are buying New & get a garantee then OK but would avoid these like the plague second hand (sorry to dampen you potato fries).

I have bought goods from some of the E-bay Shop's (Guys that sell a lot of goods through E-bay) & have got some good guitar stuff a reasonable money.

As for E-bay as otheres have said feedback is very important & if possible collect from seller, then your garanteed getting the goods & if their not as described you can walkaway.

Andy

[Screamager]

Ebay is a great site - I've been addicted to it for yours. My ever expanding collection of motorsport videos is testament to that!

I can only reinforce what has been said above -

Look for a Seller with a high rating as close to 100% as possible.

Local is better for big items - check before bidding that you can collect. If they are funny about it avoid.

Set your limit and stick to it - some people seem to go in to a bidding frenzy  

And most importantly of all - don't let your wife any where near it. Mine has discovered that she can buy jewellery cheaper in America via Ebay than she can over here. All her bargains are costing me a fortune

Carl

[Screamager]

Oh by the way, I actually got my car indirectly through Ebay.

I had been watching the kit car auctions when I was on the lookout for mine last year. The car didn't hit reserve on Ebay, but I kept the guy's email address and contacted him a few week later. I went down to view the car (along with a couple of others) and ended up buying it    

I certainly wouldn't recommend buying a kit on Ebay without looking at it first, but there is some intersting stuff that appears on there

Carl

[cyclonebrian]

Ebay can turn you in to a total recluse, you can by anything on there without leaving the house, it works better though for specialised stuff, where people are enthusiasts and know the true value of an item.

Cheers,

B.    

[westyfield]

... just one point about "combo" tv,vcr's.. I bought two different one's 18 months ago and both work OK but one has two tuners so you can watch one channel  and record another.. the other has one so you can't!

[Big Bad Ben]

The eBay song.  I'm sure that anyone who has ever used eBay will appreciate it!

I am an eBay addict; I've bought and sold quite a lot of stuff and have only once had a problem (where a newbie bidder refused to pay for one of my auctions).  I cringe now at the thought of paying high street prices for stuff I can get for pennies on eBay (it's great for buying people obscure birthday presents too! )

[david.c]

Well, after missing out on a few auctions and not getting any joy from local classifieds, we added a few quid to my sons savings and got a cheapie TV from Argos (£50). He also bought himself a basic DVD player for £30............can't complain.    

Cheers

David

[david.c]

The eBay song.  I'm sure that anyone who has ever used eBay will appreciate it!

         

David