Thread: Ebay!

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This is the time to look on ebay for halloween props and accessories...since it is not in season, everything is at a great price!

I've always been nervous about ebay....

Paranoid online shopper in general, there's just something even more unsettling about "ebay", as it's not really a store.

And yet I frequent garage sales and swap meets. I guess I'm comforted that I can at least SEE what I'm getting there.

Doesn't help that I recently had to get a refund on an Amazon Marketplace deal what never showed up. The first time I'ld tried that Marketplace doodad.

I got ripped off by an ebay seller. Turns out this guy put all these Aurora models on there, I sent him my money and he never sent anything. I just got a bunch of emails giving me excuses. I put in a claim with paypal and got my money back within 30 days.
There are 2 things you need to look for with ebay. First, don't buy anything unless the seller uses paypal. Paypal potects you against fraud. the second is to check out their feedback. This gives you a good idea of how they have treated customers in the past.
But I know what you mean. It is a leap of faith.

I have been a Ebay user for a couple of years now but nothing bad has come out of it..."Knock on wood"... I just thought you might want to know.

I have bought many things on ebay over the years with very few problems. The problems I did have were easily resolved. I am pretty careful who I buy from. What sometime annoys me about the system is when people try to force positive feedback when you have not been pleased with their service. I don't give negative feedback, but I will give neutral feedback and some people don't like it.

Yea...I have had to get negative feedback a couple times because payments werent received or they sent me something that didnt work and were rude to me about it!

I have been an ebay buyer, and for over a year a seller. Its like any online shopping. It has its risks. As a buyer I had someone who I bought a bunch of skulls from(sold for $2 at Big Lots once). I bought the lot, had to email him twice to get a shipping total, got it, sent the money. The the seller came back and told me the shipping was more than he thought it was, and so I needed to cover another $10 before he would ship. I told him thats not how it works...he gave me a total, and invoice, which was paid. Not my fault he didn't check before. We had a huge fight which ebay had to mediate. He was a new seller with no feedback. We left each other negative feedback(to date the only negative I've earned).
On the other side, I have had 2 people who bought an item, who never paid and never responded to any emails, even Ebays in the past year.
I would be careful buying electronics, like fog machines, and such. Check the sellers refund policy, or ask if they have one. Do resaerch on the product, etc...you can find a lot of info to help guide you.
What I hate are sellers who email you 2 days after the product arrives asking for feedback. I do it when I'm good and ready...perhaps after I have had a chance to use what I bought. I never ask my customers for it..I give them theirs, usually all at once, once a month.
I also hate jerks who wayyyyyyyy overcharge for shipping. List an item for 99 cents on say, a rotisserie motor, and then put shipping as $25-$30. Fortunately, Ebay is cracking down on that kind of thing, you can report them now. They do it to get around paying the ebay fees, and to get more off the item.
I do add $2-4 over actual shipping costs to my items, but that covers buying boxes and packing, time and gas to post office trips, tape, etc. I dont gack people like some.

I scored alot of great deals from ebay, including my hearse.

Now that I have my cnc router (scored from craigslist) up & running and making some decent projects, I can start selling some things.

But you do have to watch out for those that over charge for S&H---too much of that going on, and I've passed up on alot of auctions due to that.

I too am a buyer and seller on ebay. Ive had my share of jerks to which I try and chaulk it up to just bad luck. I also got my hearse on ebay so I have to be thankful for them for that. I agree that ebay has its downfalls, one of which is NOT being able to control the feedback issue. I received a neg feedback(my only one) from a new buyer from out of country who didnt pay. I didnt leave him neg feedback and i get stuck with one. The crappy thing is, the comment is nice he just put the wrong thing. Ebay doesnt care. They also dont care if you have a money issue if you paid with paypal. I agree with John on the paypal use thing. And I agree totally with the watchout for shipping people. I HATE that people try to rip you off. I have actually contacted ebay and gotten a refund on my shipping for over charging once. They charged me 40 dollars and it only cost them 10, i was like WTF??? I really wanted the item so i paid, but i saw the amount and flipped. Be careful and keep an eye on what you want. Dont be me my first time on here and pay 80 dollars for soemthing that i saw in an online store a few weeks later for 25 dollars. God that was a bitter pill to swallow. LOL. Good luck to you. I have found many good deals on ebay and other than the one time have never paid full price for anything on ebay. I have to admit im addicted to it.

We are sellers (and occasional buyers, at least I am) on Ebay and have been for the past 2 years. Make sure the seller accepts Paypal and check out their feedback. It took a lot for us to build a good reputation on Ebay and sellers who have good reps usually protect them zealously. You can write to the seller prior to placing a bid and ask all the questions you want.

I bought a mask from one of our fellow posters and had an absolutely perfect transaction.