Just curious, how many of you use Ebay? How frequently? Have you ever got burned on a purchase? Do you ever sell there?

I use it more and more it seems. Some absolutely crazy deals can be made as long as someone does the research to verify you are getting what you think you are getting. Todate I've bought a snowmobile off there, Digital Camcorder, Digital Camera, tons more... and lately my wifes bow ($88 steal there LOL). I'd guess I've saved over $2000 in terms of the difference I would have paid retail instate for similar items.

Tricks I've learned:

1) If its a big item (like the snowmobile) list items by Closest Location... if you see something you like instate, contact the person and ask if you can just swing by to pick it up if they will wave shipping charges. This puts you at a huge advantage over out of state bidders as they bid in terms of "total price" (auction price + shipping) where you can just go total price.

2) Dont bid early. I am pretty much concidered an evil person by my co-workers when it comes to ebay bids... I usually bid with 20 seconds remaining in the auction. This is called "Sniping" and usually results in a lower priced auction because people tend to bid up things more when more people are actively bidding through the week. I can imagine more than a few people out there calling me colorful names when they think they won the item as it gets within that last minute

3) Contact the seller always during an auction. Ask questions even if they are stupid ones. I dont do this to pester the seller but rather see how they respond. If they are "cold" or "rude" I pass on the item. I'd rather have a friendly seller in case something goes wrong than someone thats going to be a jerk.


Anywho I've bought guns, reloading supplies, camping gear etc etc all from Ebay or other online auctions. Saved a ton and had alot of fun doing it. Anyone else a Ebayer?


-DallanC

Anyone remember the names of Ebay's original servers? Anyone remember what they were named after? You could say I've used ebay a bit. I remember the big party over hitting 100,000 items auctioned - TOTAL.

Sorry , but I have never used it. I would rather pay a little more and be able to see what I am getting.

I've never sold anything on ebay, but I have bought some stuff....never will again. The old adage holds true...."If it sounds to good to be true...it probably isn't." I've been burned a couple of times. I bought some AA batteries (box of 60) for a very good price. When I got them, they looked like they had been soaking in motor oil. I also bought a skeet thrower and the first time I used it one leg weld broke loose and I had to get it repaired. I now in the kbis camp. I have bought some stuff on various forums (I just bought a press on this one that was even better than I expected) because I trust the folks here. But Ebay...no way. What's that saying?....."Burn me once, shame on you....burn me twice, shame on me."

Blaine

Howdy i use it a little just got three lee auto primers and four shell holders for $16.02 . I know im cheap

Sorry to hear you guys had problems. I only ever had a single problem myself: I bought a snowmobile engine and the seller never shipped. I filed a claim with Ebay and they returned my money so it ended up being no biggie. Wifes PSE Nova bow we just bought arrived in great shape and shoots even better, a steal for $88 including a $35 TruFire release.


-DallanC

Via several moves and email changes I've had 5 or 6 Ebay id's over the years. I've bought and sold literlly thousands of items. I've left 2 negative remarks and had ONE left on me (after which he had to post a retraction - his roommate had signed for the item and not told him it came for a week).

Paypal, confirmed addresses, and care.

Knock on wood i have only bought 11 items on ebay but they all went very well and i try to do the sniping as well the auto primers i just got when i got my bid in there was 2 seconds left i almost waited to long but i got them

the other option is to bid the 1st day your max price and forget it. Bid on several of the same items. You'll get one (maybe more).

Another tip, look for large/odd lots. I once bought 10 hard drives for the price of 1 because nobody wanted/needed 10. I installed 2 kept 1 as a spare and resold 7 for the same price I bought the whole lot. Gotta love 3 free hard drives and a 600% profitt.

Just used it a couple of times.

A17Shooter

I've bought 25+ items, had 2 go bad but got my money back both times with a 'personal' visit. We have a different ebay to you guys in that there are a lot more restrictions ( now THERE'S a surprise!!) on what you can sell on this side of the pond. Firearms are a TOTAL no-no, not even air guns - even paintball guns have to be called 'markers' So sad! Take a look at ours - just put .co.uk instead of .com Items can be a tad expensive if you aren't careful, by the time you factor in carriage costs it can sometimes be cheaper to buy from a store. We don't have any equivalent of Wal-Mart here, unless you count Asda but this is a grocery and clothing store with a few electrical items of dubious parentage scattered around. Would YOU buy a tv made in Sarawak by the Yubisloshy Corporation??? Hmmm.........

Well I have bought six times .. No issues so far .. Fixing to sell some stuff .. Got some great bullet deals there ..
Know several who sell 70-80k per year ..
Jack

Yes I use it quite often for both buying and selling......I have used both of the above mentioned methods for bidding and have done quite well either way. As far as selling goes, the fees are getting pretty steep but generally you will sell at a higher price on eBay than on some of the other sites so I guess it's worth it.
Never really been disapointed with anything I've bought, and always have happy buyers when I'm selling.

Mark

Never have and probably will not since they do not allow gun listings. All the best...
Gil

Gil,

they allow gun acces postings, the no guns is fear of PRK AG persecution.