Buying things from online auctions

[ReneFulllerton]

Hey - This is a question for people who have bought things on eBay before.. Can you usually trust the dealers on eBay? I mean, will I risk paying money for an item I will never get? I'm looking to buy a particular pair of sunglasses for a friend of mine.

Feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

[bottleinamessage]

I have bought and sold items on Ebay for several years (400+ transactions). Never been burned, but I do check the sellers feedback before bidding.

[sailingdog]

Checking the sellers feedback and their past sales history are both important. For instance, if a seller has a stellar history but has only been selling small collectible items and all of a sudden has several high-end laptop computers for sale... I would be questioning what is going on... since it is more than likely that their account got hijacked to try and sell the high-end electronics, which either don't exist or are stolen. If the seller you are looking normally sells the sunglasses in question and has a good feedback rating...it should probably be safe to buy from them. Generally, the ones that have on-line stores are safer than the ones that don't.

[xort]

Paypal will give you a pretty good level of protection.

Check the history of the seller.

And ask yourself if it's too good to be true, especially on new goods?

Read the whole listing carefully. Make sure there is a money back offer.

Understand what you are buying. I know of an auction where you get a new printer at a great price. But the shipping charge is very high AND you don't get the print head or ink cartridges. After you buy those items, you've paid top dollar. So make sure you understand what you are buying.

There are plenty of great deals an a few stinky ones.

[Sailormann]

If the sunglasses you are looking at are a "Designer" brand and the reason you want to buy them on E-Bay is that they are cheaper there - they are counterfeit.

Not maybe, not could be, defnitely.

[ebs001]

Ebay certainly is a buyer beware market. I have found alot of times items sold at a "Buy Now" price are more expensive than through marine internet stores. Check out prices very thoroughly before making any purchases, not only on eBay but anywhere.

[danjarch]

A big question is whether the item is new or used. You can only sell a new item so cheap. If it's used on the other hand, it can sell far less then new and still have plenty of life left in it. My personal opinion is that if the item can be purchased at retail either online or at a store for less then ten percent more. It's better to go the established way rather then taking your chances on ebay. I would second what Xort said, you've definitely got to figure in the shipping and handling charges. This is an old trick started before computers were even invented. Really low price with inflated handling charges to get a higher profit.

[xort]

I needed to replace a compass on an old boat of mine. West was about $150, others were not much less. An online e-bay store had it for about $100, new in box. Brand name. Worked just fine. Saved good money.
The e-store had a good feedback rating.

[teshannon]

I've bought and sold items on Ebay with few problems. Make sure you read the description carefully and when checking feedback make sure a good portion of it is as a seller, not just as a buyer. Also, as noted earlier Paypal privides a good bit of protection.

[teshannon]

Just bought a propane monitor/control unit on Ebay. Listed as "new in box". Paid a whopping $33 for it while Defender sells it for $230. Assuming it is as described you can get some very good prices on Ebay if you are careful.