people with 0 feedback, make sure you're very picky about what you want.
go with people with 5+ 100% feedback, or if they have like 50+ and like 90% feedback, then that's cool too, means some jerkoff didn't like the product he bought.
Just don't go for anyone with 50% lower, or 0 feedback at all.
Before you get 500 replys saying how some low life ebayer ripped them off for their kids college fund I'd like to say I have bougth many items off of ebay and have never had a single problem with any of them.
I have ordered around 4 things from ebay. Three old sega games and something else I bought years ago that I can't remember for the life of me (probably something dealing with paintball.) Anyways, I had no troubles. THe sega games were in working condition (the ones that weren't opened showed that they weren't) and they all worked perfectly. Heck, I am hooking my sega back up so I can play some more Shadowrun (I want a new game of that... <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> ) Just be careful, if it seems sleezy, it probably is. As for horror stories...
A guy sold a Solar Powered Dryer on E-Bay for a rather large sum of money to a woman. When she got her package, it was a clothes line and instructions on how to hang it. SHe tried to sue for fraud, but the guy won, since he wasn't lieing and it was a Solar Powered Dryer.
Hardly any risk in that anyway <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-JediYoshi+Jul 13 2004, 06:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (JediYoshi @ Jul 13 2004, 06:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Buy DOAX for a cent, I know I would..
Hardly any risk in that anyway <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> "If it's too good to be true, it probably is true." <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I've bought my xbox, my ps2 and about five gamecube games off ebay with no problems, i've also sold my xbox console, gamecube games and ps2 ones there. The people i've delt with are nice and are just like me in that they wish a smooth and friendly transaction.
If you are bidding on an item, come back to it when there is about five/ten minutes remaining, that way you get the best bargain. Bidding early will just push the price up! I would just be careful buying items at a high price. It was good with my ps2 because the guy was very local, we just met in a supermarket carpark and yes it looked VERY dodgy! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> I was there with a brown paper bag with the cash, he drove up with a big box. XD
<b>When</b> you bid doesn't make a difference. If you're going to bid $20 five minutes before the end of the action, you might as well bid $20 at the start of the auction, and let the bidding system take care of the rest, thus saving you time. Believe it or not, bidding early actually has the effect of deterring other potential bidders.
Bidding 'dollar by dollar' (another commonly seen 'strategy') is also a waste of time. Provided you go against the same competition, whether you increase your bid by tiny increments, or bid the highest you're willing to pay upfront, you'll end up paying the same amount (but save time by using the latter method).
eBay can be a double edged sword. Sometimes its great, like for instance when I was able to pick up a SNES, Super Metroid, Zelda:LTTP, and about 8 other games for like $50. Then sometimes its not so great, such as when I bought some SNES controller extensions and they never showed up, or when some jerk sent a different copy of Metroid than the one pictured in the auction (was all scratched to hell + the plastic had been burnt or something)
Here's a few tips for you:
1) Check the seller's feedback. Read the actual feedback and look for signs of them faking it. It is possible to fake the feedback, so just because they have 90% positive feedback doesn't mean they are not trying to scam you. Be especially aware of duplicates (i.e. the same person posted "OMG A+++ SELLAR GOOD TRANSACTION!" 4 times in a row, which eBay normally doesn't let you do on your own). If you see anything suspicious (such as 4 or 5 very loud people within that group of duplicates screaming "scammer") its best to play it safe and assume it is a scammer. Especially if you're gonna be buying stuff that could potentially be copied/counterfiet (like games/DVDs, especially Anime)
2) If you're in the US, beware the US Postal service. Its worth the extra $ to go UPS and get it within a week, rather than possibly the 6 months it can take USPS to deliver a dvd-sized package...
<!--QuoteBegin-Fr05t+Jul 13 2004, 04:14 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Fr05t @ Jul 13 2004, 04:14 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> A guy sold a Solar Powered Dryer on E-Bay for a rather large sum of money to a woman. When she got her package, it was a clothes line and instructions on how to hang it. SHe tried to sue for fraud, but the guy won, since he wasn't lieing and it was a Solar Powered Dryer. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> ^^^ thats why you want things with pictures most definitely.
i'd be wary of expensive electronics because you dont know if theyre in working condition by the picture. be sure you can get a hold of the seller easily just inc ase you have to return something.
honestly I wouldn't buy hardware off ebay, if it goes bad you have no warrenty, and there is no way to know how the card has been treated, rather the guy/gal left it laying on their desk collecting dust for a year etc.. I would steer clear of buying PC hardware on ebay. but of course someone is going to reply and say they never had any problems, but that doesn't mean there isn't still a large risk involved.
I'd agree with Leaderz0rz, Things like delicate PC components that are easily damaged, I would personally treat with caution. Even if the seller means well, which the majority do, a slight static discharge or other usually harmless conditions can fry components, during delivery, unless it's packaged very very very securely. Other things like DVDs, games etc are for the most part fine. Buying from auctions with pics is the best way to go, because then you have a fallback if the product turns out to be a pirate copy (Blank cd-r etc.), to prevent problems like with Dooms copy of metroid. I'd assume that the images have to representative of the product, unless otherwise stated. That of course leads to another point. Always read all the text. So not to fall for these XBOX for £15!!1! scams. (Which I've seen people pay upto £130 for... and theres no way to get your money back either as you got what was advertised (in the small print).
<!--QuoteBegin-Leaderz0rz+Jul 13 2004, 05:50 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Leaderz0rz @ Jul 13 2004, 05:50 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> honestly I wouldn't buy hardware off ebay, if it goes bad you have no warrenty, and there is no way to know how the card has been treated, rather the guy/gal left it laying on their desk collecting dust for a year etc.. I would steer clear of buying PC hardware on ebay. but of course someone is going to reply and say they never had any problems, but that doesn't mean there isn't still a large risk involved. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I agree with this statement despite the fact that I bought a 1.8 gig celeron off of ebay not so long ago (I had a P4 slot motherboard going spare and didn't want to fork out £80+ for a brand new CPU to go in it) and its absoloutely fine. It was only because it was so cheap I was willing to buy it and even then I had my doubts. No such animal as a dissapointed pessismist hey?
<!--QuoteBegin-Align+Jul 13 2004, 01:01 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Align @ Jul 13 2004, 01:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> What if I want to buy a certain game-pack which is very rare indeed, and long out of production?
Theoratically anyways. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> That is, in my opinion anyway, what eBay is for rather than common crap you can get at any store.
Stuff like SNES systems/games. Hard to find those locally, and usually if you do its for an outrageous price, but on eBay you can get a decent deal if you look carefully and aren't bid sniped.
The main thing is just use some common sense. Don't buy from fishy sellers. That sorta thing.
eBay isn't as bad as most of the people here would lead you to believe, while I had 2 bad experiences with it, I absolutely love my SNES, which works perfectly Well, it didn't at first but it just needed a good cleaning and some gentle love. Super Nintendo's are a lot like puppies.
If its just for a motherboard or something like that, just get it from a store.
I'm yet to have a single problem with getting anything off of ebay. I've ordered two motherboards, a video card, ram, a processor and 2 entire computer cases and am yet to have them broken/burnt/ etc. And what you guys said about not having warranty on things that are bought off ebay, is false. Most people you find on ebay that are selling electronics never come in contact with the actual product. All they do is sell items on ebay, then when you buy it, they give your address to the company and the item you bought, and ship it out to you. Not to mention at a low price aswell. The only close to problem I've had is when I bought a comp case from them, it came a little dented and warped. So I emailed the seller and told him about it. So he just sent me a new one, no questions asked, and just told me to keep the old one. Free computer case.
I second the idea of using Newegg, infact I recieved an item from them today (2 80 gb SATA hd's) and they rock the house. Installed windows in 13 minutes and it only took them 2 days to ship the stuff to me.
<!--QuoteBegin-MrPink+Jul 13 2004, 12:39 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (MrPink @ Jul 13 2004, 12:39 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Statistically, Ebay is the number one place where identity theft occurs. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> thats like saying that most people that die in car accidents do it on or near a street. no reason to be afraid of driving down those streets.
Let <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28603&hl=' target='_blank'>this</a> story be a valuable lesson - make absolutely sure you know what you're buying! An auction description isn't enough! If you think it might be shady, send the seller an email and get answers to any questions before bidding.
Comments
go with people with 5+ 100% feedback, or if they have like 50+ and like 90% feedback, then that's cool too, means some jerkoff didn't like the product he bought.
Just don't go for anyone with 50% lower, or 0 feedback at all.
<-- GG 1000 posts
I'm also antsy about giving name, address, telephone numbers etc...
Really for every ebay "Horror Story" you hear theres thousands upon thousands of transactions that go so smoothly it just becomes second nature.
A guy sold a Solar Powered Dryer on E-Bay for a rather large sum of money to a woman. When she got her package, it was a clothes line and instructions on how to hang it. SHe tried to sue for fraud, but the guy won, since he wasn't lieing and it was a Solar Powered Dryer.
Hardly any risk in that anyway <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hardly any risk in that anyway <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
"If it's too good to be true, it probably is true." <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
If you are bidding on an item, come back to it when there is about five/ten minutes remaining, that way you get the best bargain. Bidding early will just push the price up! I would just be careful buying items at a high price. It was good with my ps2 because the guy was very local, we just met in a supermarket carpark and yes it looked VERY dodgy! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> I was there with a brown paper bag with the cash, he drove up with a big box. XD
Believe it or not, bidding early actually has the effect of deterring other potential bidders.
Bidding 'dollar by dollar' (another commonly seen 'strategy') is also a waste of time. Provided you go against the same competition, whether you increase your bid by tiny increments, or bid the highest you're willing to pay upfront, you'll end up paying the same amount (but save time by using the latter method).
Here's a few tips for you:
1) Check the seller's feedback. Read the actual feedback and look for signs of them faking it. It is possible to fake the feedback, so just because they have 90% positive feedback doesn't mean they are not trying to scam you. Be especially aware of duplicates (i.e. the same person posted "OMG A+++ SELLAR GOOD TRANSACTION!" 4 times in a row, which eBay normally doesn't let you do on your own). If you see anything suspicious (such as 4 or 5 very loud people within that group of duplicates screaming "scammer") its best to play it safe and assume it is a scammer. Especially if you're gonna be buying stuff that could potentially be copied/counterfiet (like games/DVDs, especially Anime)
2) If you're in the US, beware the US Postal service. Its worth the extra $ to go UPS and get it within a week, rather than possibly the 6 months it can take USPS to deliver a dvd-sized package...
^^^ thats why you want things with pictures most definitely.
i'd be wary of expensive electronics because you dont know if theyre in working condition by the picture. be sure you can get a hold of the seller easily just inc ase you have to return something.
Buying from auctions with pics is the best way to go, because then you have a fallback if the product turns out to be a pirate copy (Blank cd-r etc.), to prevent problems like with Dooms copy of metroid. I'd assume that the images have to representative of the product, unless otherwise stated. That of course leads to another point.
Always read all the text. So not to fall for these XBOX for £15!!1! scams. (Which I've seen people pay upto £130 for... and theres no way to get your money back either as you got what was advertised (in the small print).
Theoratically anyways.
I agree with this statement despite the fact that I bought a 1.8 gig celeron off of ebay not so long ago (I had a P4 slot motherboard going spare and didn't want to fork out £80+ for a brand new CPU to go in it) and its absoloutely fine. It was only because it was so cheap I was willing to buy it and even then I had my doubts. No such animal as a dissapointed pessismist hey?
Theoratically anyways. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
That is, in my opinion anyway, what eBay is for rather than common crap you can get at any store.
Stuff like SNES systems/games. Hard to find those locally, and usually if you do its for an outrageous price, but on eBay you can get a decent deal if you look carefully and aren't bid sniped.
The main thing is just use some common sense. Don't buy from fishy sellers. That sorta thing.
eBay isn't as bad as most of the people here would lead you to believe, while I had 2 bad experiences with it, I absolutely love my SNES, which works perfectly Well, it didn't at first but it just needed a good cleaning and some gentle love. Super Nintendo's are a lot like puppies.
If its just for a motherboard or something like that, just get it from a store.
I second the idea of using Newegg, infact I recieved an item from them today (2 80 gb SATA hd's) and they rock the house. Installed windows in 13 minutes and it only took them 2 days to ship the stuff to me.
thats like saying that most people that die in car accidents do it on or near a street. no reason to be afraid of driving down those streets.