I use eBay to buy stuff that Amazon won't ship here. Many times, eBay ships it fine. I haven't bid there for years...when eBay was a new thing. One of my friends then had an eBay-based business selling sports gear, so I was introduced.
I would ave loved to have had a side business going to thrift shops and selling the stuff on EBay, but I understand that the way they treat Sellers these days--coupled with unscrupulous customers--would not make it a pleasurable experience.
I rarely bid on anything on eBay. When I have, I would seldom win the bid anyhow, so I use the buy it now option.
Same here. I also like the "make an offer" option, which I used to nab the percolator. @John Brunner -- I am well aware of sniping; I've been an Ebayer since 2003. If I'm bidding on something, I enjoy the excitement of the bidding. Snipers took all the fun out of it, IMO.
Argh, I might have been scammed by an Ebayer. A few days ago I found an old model Aerogarden (Classic 7) "new in box" on Ebay at a reasonable price and free shipping, so I bought it. Or at least I paid for it. It still hasn't shipped so I decided to read the seller's feedback and I see that they have a string of "item never shipped; had to get Ebay involved in dispute" comments. Why do people do this? It takes time and effort to photograph and make a listing, so if you aren't going to ship the item when it sells then what is the point? You aren't going to get to keep the money you scammed since Ebay, PayPal, and my credit card will all make sure that I get a refund. I'll give this a few more days since this is "the holidays," but I have a bad feeling about this. And yeah. I should have read the seller's feedback before I submitted the "Buy it Now." Another lesson learned.
On the flip side, at what point does EBay, Amazon, etc have a duty to get rid of sellers that perpetually rip people off? At a minimum, you would think that EBay/Amazon would get tired of wasting their resources resolving "disputes" for these idiots. When I first started using these platforms, I looked at Seller Ratings. But then I got comfortable...
Same here. Besides the fact that this seller has been on Ebay since 2015 and has sold over 11,000 items. SHEESH. I decided to send a message to the seller and they responded that they are "packaging it now and taking to the post office later today," so hopefully I'll see a tracking number soon. I hope it shows up because I ordered a replacement pump and some adapters to swap out the fluorescent bulbs for LEDs from Amazon. Since the Aerogarden is a discontinued model I wanted to keep a spare water pump "just in case" they aren't available in the future.
I wonder if the guy uses the cash from his customer to then go purchase the stuff he just sold them. I worked for a guy who was committing that kind of fraud. He never got caught, but he finally went bankrupt.
Why would that be fraud? If the seller provides the "sold item" to the buyer he hasn't defrauded anyone. Besides the fact that an Aerogarden from 2007-2008 new-in-box wouldn't be easy to source. Anyway, it sounds like the seller is shipping my loot today so we'll see.
I quit doing Ebay, except on rare occasion, for a number of reasons. I once did a lot of selling there, but their rising selling cost as well as Paypal increases and added shipping increases, made it not worth the trouble. Then the few buyers that complained about condition even though I posted a lot of photos and detailed description of condition, really made selling unpleasant. I usually graded my item lower than it really was. I would offer to refund their money and pay return shipping, but it was always, "no that is ok, I will keep it." They knew they got a bargain, but just had a problem giving more than 3 stars and not being a jerk complainer. I had a few bad buying experiences and it was a hassle trying to resolve anything with Ebay. So many sellers are from China and because of the hassle in contesting charges with credit card companies, they scammed a lot of people. They offered returns, but the cost of sending a small item to China was $36. It didn't make sense to spend $36 to get a $10 refund on their misrepresented item. About all I buy these days is USA made clothes, both vintage and new, and the same sellers seem to sell on Poshmark for less than they can on Ebay. Also Esty is a good source for vintage and handmade items.
I rarely buy from Ebay, but I do like to sift through "old" stuff that brings back memories. It's like going to a flea market while sitting in my recliner. I have never bought anything very expensive or "new;" I'd rather buy new items from a retailer that has easy returns/exchanges, etc. I absolutely love Etsy. I buy a lot of stuff from there. In fact, I have my cart loaded with Aerogarden pods and other accessories that are made for the Classic 7 machine. Once that ships from Ebay, I'll place the Etsy order.
Well, so much for "I seldom buy from Ebay." I was scrolling through my old orders and noticed that a seller I used to buy from is still selling open stock Oneida flatware. My pattern was discontinued years ago so it's nice to buy a replacement piece occasionally. I found these round soup spoons for a good price so I bought 'em. I am PT Barnum's poster child.