ChatterBank3 mins ago
Buying On E Bay
38 Answers
i have i hope bought my first item on e bay - can anyone advise whether it's worth it,
bargains by the looks of it, but as i am new to this, did you get your items, good price?
bargains by the looks of it, but as i am new to this, did you get your items, good price?
Answers
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I've been buying I eBay a good few years. Only 2 or 3 "bad" experiences like lost in the post or seller didn't have, and I always got refunded. I use PayPal...it seems the safest way to go.
I've bought everything from footwear to clothing...mostly second hand but always good to excellent condition...supplements, vintage jewellery, pet supplies, and houseplants-dozens of them!
Always check the sellers ratings and reviews. I always stick with those who are 98% and up. I check the reasons for bad reviews too.
I'd say prices have gone up since covid.
I've bought everything from footwear to clothing...mostly second hand but always good to excellent condition...supplements, vintage jewellery, pet supplies, and houseplants-dozens of them!
Always check the sellers ratings and reviews. I always stick with those who are 98% and up. I check the reasons for bad reviews too.
I'd say prices have gone up since covid.
I must have bought hundreds of things from eBay sellers over the years but can now often find goods much cheaper elsewhere. Often eBay sellers have their own sites where they sell the same items cheaper (no eBay and PayPal fees). Last week I needed to buy a new drill and found it £40 cheaper than anywhere else including eBay and Amazon at B&Q with free next day delivery.
It always pays to shop around.
I've had a couple of bad experiences with eBay and PayPal but not enough to put me off using them.
It always pays to shop around.
I've had a couple of bad experiences with eBay and PayPal but not enough to put me off using them.
Barry100 is right - sometimes the same seller will be on Amazon and Ebay, as well as having their own website - and the price for the same item can differ.
Don't bid too early (eg. days in advance) - and make use of the proxy bid (automatic bidding).
Don't stick to round figures eg.
Fred bid £2,
Barney (proxy bid) £2.50
Wilma then bid £3 but Betty had a proxy bid earlier so her bid was accepted not Wilma's
Barney then had another proxy bid £3.50, but Betty also had a Proxy bid of £3.51 (in this case her maximum bid was set at £3.51) - Betty won!
Don't bid too early (eg. days in advance) - and make use of the proxy bid (automatic bidding).
Don't stick to round figures eg.
Fred bid £2,
Barney (proxy bid) £2.50
Wilma then bid £3 but Betty had a proxy bid earlier so her bid was accepted not Wilma's
Barney then had another proxy bid £3.50, but Betty also had a Proxy bid of £3.51 (in this case her maximum bid was set at £3.51) - Betty won!
I've bought over 500 items over the last 16 years, and only one or two gone bad.
Just keep your wits about you, be very wary of where the seller is situated (China can be risky I've found, especially if you want to return the item), don't get "caught up" in an auction by going above your decided price, do a bit of looking round to see if prices are realistic. There are some sellers coming on to eBay now (especially in the Collectors category) with ridiculously inflated prices because occasionally they will get a mug paying it. Sometimes there is a reason for above average prices so you might need expert advice (take a look at £2 coins if you want to see an enormous range of prices, some of which I can't believe are justified, but I'm no expert).
Anyway, good luck with your eBay trading.
Just keep your wits about you, be very wary of where the seller is situated (China can be risky I've found, especially if you want to return the item), don't get "caught up" in an auction by going above your decided price, do a bit of looking round to see if prices are realistic. There are some sellers coming on to eBay now (especially in the Collectors category) with ridiculously inflated prices because occasionally they will get a mug paying it. Sometimes there is a reason for above average prices so you might need expert advice (take a look at £2 coins if you want to see an enormous range of prices, some of which I can't believe are justified, but I'm no expert).
Anyway, good luck with your eBay trading.
One almost-scam which a seller got away with a few years ago was to post a picture of an expensive item and only carefully hidden in the small print description was it made clear that the item for sale was indeed just a picture (or in some cases just the box). eBay may have clamped down on this now.
In my early trading days it was mainly individual private sellers (like myself on a couple of occasions) selling by auction, nowadays there are hundreds of "traders" with eBay shops and selling with buy-it-now fixed prices. As always, the good old days were much better.
In my early trading days it was mainly individual private sellers (like myself on a couple of occasions) selling by auction, nowadays there are hundreds of "traders" with eBay shops and selling with buy-it-now fixed prices. As always, the good old days were much better.