Opinions of Ebay and Co

bbwannabe · 24-05-2004, 01:40

What do you think of them? Ive never used them before, because of PayPal and its a greater risk to buy from individuals than from well known retailers. Have you had any problems? any views on them.

24-05-2004, 01:48

I've used ebay, and paypal dozens of time's and only had one problem. And that was because the bloke I was buying from was very ill and was unable to finalise the sale.

But I'm sure there are others on the forum who have had problems before.

Paul K · 24-05-2004, 01:49

Like many sites of this nature Ebay has its pros and cons, you will always find people that have had bad experiences with them as well as the people that have had no problems at all.
It's a case of be careful, check the sellers' ratings and check the details of what you are buying and get a rough idea of its shop price before bidding. I've used an auction site similar to ebay (QXL) and had no problems at all with them, give yourself the time to check out the auction and seller and you can take a lot of the problems away.

bbwannabe · 24-05-2004, 02:21

I dont like how most specs of hardware are copied word for word. Seeing a piece of review even if its a small bit is nice, but from the ones ive seen they're just a quick copy n paste job.

24-05-2004, 09:20

I've used ebay about 10 times. Paid by cheque or Pay Pal. Never had a problem at all.

I've bought stuff from the states on a couple of occasions via Ebay and Pal pal. Always seems to work fine.

A good bet is to only bid on items that are photographed and dont look like a standard photo.

Halcyon · 24-05-2004, 09:42

Many people are worried about ebay for its electronic payment.....but fear not.... You do not have to use Paypal.
Unless stated, many people pay by cheque, cash, or postal money orders.

From the item page, you can see how much positive feedback a seller has, which gives you an indication of their reliability.

Most people on ebay have high feedback and are dedicated to doing good by you.

Often if you have any problems on ebay, its not the buyer, but the seller that is in a mess.
I've sold items before where bidders just refuse to pay and end up costing me money for their waste of time.

Just a few pointers:

- Read the description carefully. Is it brand new ? Does it work ?

- Check postage and packaging charges. At bottom of the page so that you know how much it will cost you if you win the item.

- E-mail the seller (ask seller a question button) if yuo need additional details.

- Do use the feature on ebay to look up items that have been completed already. This will give you an indication of how much previous items went for so you dont end up spending more than the item is actually worth.

Bidding is easy, you only put the amounts you want to bid, and it is a good service.

I give it the thumbs up.

Bifta · 24-05-2004, 09:48

I use Ebay and paypal regularly, the only trouble I've ever had is with non paying bidders and bid retractions, Ebay customer services though have always been polite and helpful in these instances.

Paulie · 24-05-2004, 10:02

I use e-bay a fair bit to buy and sell, both with paypal. Never had a problem yet (touch wood)

bbwannabe · 24-05-2004, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halcyon

Often if you have any problems on ebay, its not the buyer, but the seller that is in a mess.
I've sold items before where bidders just refuse to pay and end up costing me money for their waste of time.

just checking.. you meant buyers right?

Could you use a debit card (without paypal?? )(less hassle than a cheque and generally quicker).

Halcyon · 24-05-2004, 14:37

No, what I mean is that when I've been on ebay, I havent had any problems when buying, just a few times when I've been selling.
This is due to some buyers who buy from me and then refuse to pay, hence wasting my (sellers) time.

You asked about wether there are other ways to pay by credit card ?
There probably are.... but paypal use a secure connection, and are owned by ebay so I'd stick with them if you intend to pay by creditcard.

Do remember cheques and money order too are mostly accepted.
Just read description.

bbwannabe · 24-05-2004, 14:42

"its not the buyer, but the seller that is in a mess"

in this case your the seller.

Halcyon · 24-05-2004, 15:00

Exactly.

**Maggy** · 24-05-2004, 15:11

I have just bought my first item on Ebay.It was an Amiga CD32 and I've been trying to but one for the past month.I got it cheaper than I expected and it only took a week for the item to arrive.I paid by cheque 'cos I hate Paypal.

How many of you try buying second hand from Amazon?I've not been let down yet.

Incog.

Bifta · 24-05-2004, 15:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitas

I have just bought my first item on Ebay.It was an Amiga CD32 and I've been trying to but one for the past month.I got it cheaper than I expected and it only took a week for the item to arrive.I paid by cheque 'cos I hate Paypal.

How many of you try buying second hand from Amazon?I've not been let down yet.

Incog.

I buy and sell on Amazon Marketplace, buying is a breeze, reasonable postage costs, only ever had one small problem where some idiot advertised a Corrs album is the DVD Audio version, which I bought, when it arrived it turned out to be a normal audio CD. Selling is a bit of a b*stard as it takes up to 10 day's to transfer funds when someone buy's something.

Shaun · 24-05-2004, 15:38

If we buy stuff we normally don't have any trouble, its when you sell stuff and the bidders cant seem to get it into their head that they have to pay even if they no longer want the item. As for payment I prefer to do a bacs transfer(or ask for the buyer to do one), takes three days but its less hassle then Paypal and free!!