Ebay

Post by **FZ1** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:53 am

People on Ebay are nuts.
So I'm bidding on a few computer component items which are well below retail value. Of course the bidding escalates and the price ends up just a few dollars short of what you can buy it for retail. Why would you pay near retail for something on Ebay (unless it's a hard to find commodity) when if you pay a few bucks more for retail you get the added benefits of customer support and the ability to return it if you aren't happy with it. If I'm going to buy something off Ebay, I want a deal.

gvblake22 · Post by **gvblake22** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 7:22 am

YEAH! I totally understand where you are coming from as I have experienced the exact same thing more than once. I was trying to buy a flash drive for the longest time and every single one I bid on ended up being sold to the winning bidder at or higher than retail! I guess they think that just because they bought it on e-bay, it MUST be a good deal so they don't even bother to shop around and compare prices.
A bunch of crazies for sure!

Post by **FZ1** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:06 am

I'm glad I'm nto the only one. Anytime you buy off Ebay your are taking a risk even thought there are safeguards built in. So to me, it better be worth the risk. I know more than a few people that had issues with things they bought off of Ebay.

NAiLs · Post by **NAiLs** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:54 am

I too only look for deals there. I got my Radeon 9800 Pro from there when they came out. I got it for I believe $140+ below retail which was sweet as hell.

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:04 am

I don't shop Ebay anymore and try to persuade others to shop elswhere. Last year I bought a Extreme Edition processor for $500 and got an empty box....EBAY and PAYPAL wouldn't do anything because I signed for the package....even though the mailman and a neighbor both signed statements that the package was empty.
I have also notice people having more than one ID, bidding up their stuff....or the same suspicious people bidding over and over again on certain peoples stuff (You'll see the same people bidding on everything a person is selling). I think its better to buy retail, even if it costs a little more, or even go to places like Anand's or our forum and buying things.

-mogwai · Post by **-mogwai** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:05 pm

i agree... i only put my max bid up to a dollar value that would be lower than what i can find on froogle to the point where i can justify buying it from ebay. if it's, like, $5 cheaper, i wouldn't.

i've found ipods on ebay that were actually MORE than they were retail. i was like "wtf? good luck, homes."

allenpan · Post by **allenpan** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:47 pm

i buy stuff off ebay even is same as retail is b/c in canada the usa retail price is already sweet deal, consider this, a CPU end bid with 85USD include shipping where in usa 80$ u can get retail, in canada is 108$ CND*1.15 Tax = 124.20 with exchange 1.16 to USD = 107 USD retail in canada, and it is still cheaper in when i buy off ebay

if u revied empty box, u should call paypal or ebay, the buyer protaction program stated in u get empty box, u are under protection

allenpan · Post by **allenpan** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:50 pm

is normal to see similar user name in a auction from same seller or buyer

i have 2 favorite seller, i almost bought everythimg from them, anything i need or my friend need the seller has..i bought 60+ items from him...so, ius hard to say

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:22 pm

allenpan wrote:i buy stuff off ebay even is same as retail is b/c in canada the usa retail price is already sweet deal, consider this, a CPU end bid with 85USD include shipping where in usa 80$ u can get retail, in canada is 108$ CND*1.15 Tax = 124.20 with exchange 1.16 to USD = 107 USD retail in canada, and it is still cheaper in when i buy off ebay

if u revied empty box, u should call paypal or ebay, the buyer protaction program stated in u get empty box, u are under protection

I went through a three month ordeal with Pay Pal and Flea Bay, and they would not do anything because the sender could prove he sent me a box......even though there was nothing in it.
I would never recommend either of them to anyone.
Looking at some of the stuff people get away with, its funny. You'll see a Dell 2405 FPW listed at $699, which sounds great until you read the fine print where shipping is another $199 plus insurance....which makes it not such a great deal.

Amy · Post by **Amy** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:31 pm

This discussion amuses me somewhat...I've actually never known anyone who's had a bad experience with Ebay (with the exception of this forum). My mom buys all sorts of stuff, and has always had good experiences. Now, whether that's the norm or the exception...?

gvblake22 · Post by **gvblake22** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:18 pm

...Kinda like everything in life, you can't please everyone all the time...

That sucks to hear about your rip off capper

Kinda makes me wonder how some people can even sleep at night!

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:22 pm

I haven't had a good experience there in over two years. And judging by sites like Paypalsucks.com, I'm far from the only one.
I think it also comes down to what you buy and sell....I'm doubting your mom deala in expensive computer components or sports memorabilia as I have...probably like most women she deals in small collectibles and the like.

Amy · Post by **Amy** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:26 pm

Right. and most of the people she buys from are female...correlation?

killswitch83 · Post by **killswitch83** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:41 pm

I'm a person who is all for proper product procurement and product insurance. I would never buy anything off of eBay anyways, because more often than not, at least when dealing with computer components and automotive parts, I've found several instances where the part they list for sale isn't exactly the part that the seller possesses (a buddy of mine had that problem with a car alarm he bought off eBay, was supposed to be a high-end Black Widow system with keyless entry and remote start kit, but it was actually an off-name system that failed on him right after he installed it, and he paid like 500 bucks for it). Personally, I trust the majority of people on this site here to buy from, because of the fact they are just like me: everyday computer enthusiasts who don't like being screwed over. I would buy retail if it was a last-ditch effort, not eBay. Even with hard to find items, I would ask around and see if I couldn't find it. If it wasn't, and it wasn't necessary, I would find something comparable, simple as that. You guys are family, and I trust family, so cheers!!

gvblake22 · Post by **gvblake22** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:46 pm

I have actually bought a few things from e-bay. I've bought games, fans, small odd pieces of hardware, etc. Nothing has ever been very expensive. The only problem I had was I bought a single fan (a nice 120mm x 38mm Delta) and it arrived and 3 out of the four supports for the fan hub were broken. I contacted the seller and they gave me a full, instant refund and I sent the fan back to them. They e-mailed me back to let me know they recieved it but they insisted that it was not damaged at all! I was so confused, it was hard to find a way to politely say that they are retarded and it is broken. After many e-mails, they finally just told me never to buy anything from them again and I said I didn't have a problem with that.
Yeah, fans4pc seller, who knows....

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:49 pm

Amy wrote:Right. and most of the people she buys from are female...correlation?

I tend to find women to be better business people and easier to deal with....not being sexist or anything, but I have never had a problem dealing with women, usually its men when it comes to business who are dishonest.

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:53 pm

I bought a Michael Jordan rookie card from some guy with 100% feedback for $375 one time....the card booked for over $700, got it, and it took about 5 seconds to realize they had "printed" it on a laser printer and put it over a different card. Took me going to visit the guy to get my money back.
Realstically I guess you have to take everything individually and be open minded, I'm sure there are good people on EBay, and good deals to be found....maybe my message is just that you have to be very careful and scrutinize everything before spending the money.

bigblockmatt · Post by **bigblockmatt** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 11:52 am

I have bought several things on ebay. I got several WW2 posters with no problem at all. I guess it is all hit and miss with ebay. kinda sucks that is how it works...

Post by **FZ1** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:45 pm

I have successfully bought a few items from Ebay but they have generally been fairly common collectibles or used items that are not too hard to come by. I also am picky about the individual sellers. I definitely pay attention to their ratings and feedback.

There's a guy that I know from another forum that bought a "mint condition" motorcycle on EBAY that was several states away. He drove like 14 hours to pick it up only to find out the guy lied and the bike had been wrecked and had scratches and dents. He couldn't leave bad feedback without the guy also leaving him bad feedback that he backed out of the deal. It was a crazy situation. I wish I could find the posts.

-mogwai · Post by **-mogwai** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:09 pm

that's something i really hate about ebay... being forced to give positive feedback even when you're not exactly pleased. some of these a-holes know that they're in the wrong, but whenever they get the negative feedback, they post back and say the person's a bad buyer. thankfully, i've never had that experience and pray i never do.

there was one guy i was gonna buy an ipod from on ebay and backed out after i asked some question. his ipod clearly had an inscription on it like a paragraph long. i asked him what it said, because if it was something meaningful to my daily life, i'd still get it. he said there was no inscription (in very poor english... obviously not originally from the states... not that it makes a difference in a person's credibility or anything). anyways, he said that it was just apple's description and serial number of the ipod. so, i responded and said "no, that's on the bottom of the back of the ipod. i'm asking for the top half of the back part of the ipod... on the shiny metal part." he kept insisting that nothing was there. so, i took the picture that was posted on his ad and circled it and sent him a link to the picture. then, he tried telling me that it was something that came with the ipod (i assumed he meant the protective sticker). well, i have a brand new ipod that i'm giving my brother, so i look at the sticker on the back, telling you how to use the buttons and whatnot, and it didn't look anything like what was on the back of his.

anyways, here's the picture... needless to say, i didn't waste any more time.