E-bay Bidding

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I have been trying to buy a digital camera off of e-bay for a lower price than I can buy it from Amazon but I can't do it! I have bid on 7 straight Canon PowerShot S500 Digital Elph cameras and lost every one to someone who either a. paid more than it cost at Amazon outright, or b. paid more after adding shipping and insurance. The last one really aggrvated me because they bid $301 and have to pay shipping and insurance when the thing sells for $299 at Amazon and comes with free shipping.

Thanks for listening

[Jeff Sudmeier]

:) That's why E-Bay is called a seller's market place. People get caught up in the bidding and bid more than they normally would spend.

[Jim Becker]

While you once in awhile can get lucky and get something for below market (Dr. SWMBO scored the other night on the next set of Pimsler Russian lessons), in so many cases, E-Bay is a totally irrational place. It's great to be a seller on occasion, but I pretty much don't enjoy shopping there. My one great buy was the auto-drain for my compressor. For the most part, I've never won a bid otherwise since I will not pay more than I can pay elsewhere.

[Kevin Arceneaux]

I have been fairly successfull in things I have gone after. Granted, not a lot of people bid on railroad timetable and othe RR paper, so I am able to get what I want for a reasonable cost.

[Gary Max]

And lets not forget all the fraud that goes along with it.
I done some reading over at CNET about how many folks great the short end of the deal.
That alone is enough to give you something to think about.

[Bob Nieman]

That's why I don't bid at the last minute. I figure out what realistically is the most I am willing to spend, taking into account what I can get it for elsewhere, and that's what I bid. As a result, I get outbid most of the time, but there will always be more to bid on. Very rarely it will be offered for a Buy It Now price that is OK and I will snap it up (got a post card for $3.50 that had gone to over $15 the previous time it was up)

I have had very few real "steals". If it is a popular item, there are just too many people out there who want it too. I managed to get some mesquite at a bargain price (and I have noticed, the seller hasn't tried to sell any on ebay since). As for fraud, I'd be more leery of cameras and electronics.
I did buy a dining room table at an auction site for significantly less money than the company's web site, but otherwise I keep most of my purchases (and risk) small.

[John Pollman]

Just because it comes from ebay doesn't mean it's a good deal. If I find an item that I want to bid on and there's enough time left in the auction I do a little research and find out what I can buy it for locally or elsewhere online. I then decide just what it's really worth to me. I then decide what my MAXIMUM bid will be. If it's an item I'd like to have but it's not a big deal if I don't get it I'll make the bid right then. But if it's something I really want, I'll watch the auction and bid at the last minute. Yes, I'm a "sniper". That ticks a lot of people off but why should it ? It's an AUCTION !!! The idea is that the person willing to pay the most wins the auction. Personally I have no problem with "sniping". Yes I've lost items this way and won items this way. It shouldn't matter if I placed my bid in the first minute or the last minute of the auction. I was willing to pay more than the person I beat out. It's just that simple. The way I look at it is I decide what my maximum bid is going to be and I'm not going to bid and possibly drive the price up if I don't have to. About 3 months ago I had a manual hardwood floor nailer that I bought used from Home Depot rental for about $100 about 2 years ago. I've used it on 3 or 4 jobs and it had worked fine but I'd decided to upgrade to a pneumatic. So I put my manual one on ebay.... I ended up getting $174 plus $15 shipping ! The guy that bought it could have gone to Home Depot and gotten a brand new one for about $30 more ! Oh well, didn't bother me any. :D

[Wes Bischel]

Like most things, eBay is great for some things, bad for others. I recently bought a new jigsaw. I tracked a few auctions and found most of the units were selling for about $10 - 20 less than new - then add shipping. So I picked a new one up from Amazon. On the other hand, where else can you find a huge selection of vintage tube radios? Or a Champion Blower and Forge drill press. ;)

Wes

[Randy Meijer]

..Like most things, eBay is great for some things, bad for others. ..Wes

My experience is that the above statement is very true. I've been shopping on eBay for about a year and found a bunch of good deals. Most recent was a little 9" Sears bandsaw(new as far as I can tell) that lists for $149 and I got for about $75 inc. shipping.

Cameras are a very popular item and it's hard to find bargains. I did find one for about half price (used); but probably bid on 50 cameras before I won this one.

[John Hart]

I usually shop around and find the lowest price the conventional way before I go to Ebay. This sets my limits. Just recently, I was in the market for a little bandsaw and I was sure that I would get it on Ebay....then lo and behold, Sears had a floor model that they were trying to unload that had a broken screw...I ended up paying $28 for a $150 machine. Ebay is my last resort.

[John Shuk]

I just watched a used Tormek setup go for $561. New it would cost about $450 with the included accessories. The shipping was an additional $40.00!

[Christopher Pine]

I agree with most of what othersd have said... SOme things are great on ebay. I like using it and I use common sense when I bid... thats all it takes is common sense.

The newer items tend to do what you have been talking about.. Ebay started out as a place to sell items people had and the cost of doing it was less. It was not a place for someone to start there own business selling crap!
But unfortunately that is what it has evolved into to a large degree.. I use it for my betterement and don't worry about what other are paying for items..

Chris

[Randy Meijer]

I can understand why folks might be willing to pay close to retail or even a small premium for stuff on eBay; but some people are just plain crazy!! Years ago, I had a job in a little town in upstate New York. It had a small grocery/soft goods and gas station and a 2 lane bowling alley......nothing more. The closest town of any size was 60 miles away and I'll bet there wasn't a Home Depot, Rockler or Woodcraft store within 150 miles. Same deal if you live in the Big Bend area of Texas......closest major town is about 100 miles away. People who live in isolated areas like that are probably happy to have access to eBay and willing to pay top dollar for items that they might not otherwise have access to!!

[lou sansone]

I have found that for technical equipement I have done pretty good. Bought one machine for 3k, which was almost new, that normally sold for 70K. not bad. I have found that for mainstream ww tools that there is no bargan at ebay. I buy old iron 3 phase stuff, but even then I have never bought from someone on ebay. I did not even want to sell my laguna on ebay because it is so bad.

lou

[Doug Jones]

The last one really aggrvated me because they bid $301 and have to pay shipping and insurance when the thing sells for $299 at Amazon and comes with free shipping.

Thanks for listening

I don't know why this would bother you so much,,, you didn't pay for it. Just bite the bullet and get the one from Amazon and call it done. Easy enough.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Dennis about a month ago I bid on a Jet 12" bandsaw they said had been used once. Had 3 or 4 new timberwolf blades with it. They sell new on Amazon.com for $299 with $25 off ($274) and free shipping. So I thought shoot I will bid $200 with shipping of $48 with new blades would be ok. It went for $352 plus $48 for shipping. Go figure. I have been ok buying like antique clocks because most times you won't find them out and about much or I have did ok with software. I have did ok on some wood but will only buy from 2 or 3 sellers. Other than that I don't use ebay for much.


Bernie

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I don't know why this would bother you so much,,, you didn't pay for it. Just bite the bullet and get the one from Amazon and call it done. Easy enough.

Doug, it doesn't bother me that these people are bidding more than retail, they can certainly pay whatever they want to. It bothers me because I am cheap :D and I'm trying to buy one at less than retail and I'm having no luck.

[John Shuk]

I feel I did ok getting my old iron Yates American Jointer there. $600 or so seems pretty good to me.

[John Hart]

I buy my clock faces and clock inserts there. Best prices anywhere.... Oh..and Ancient Roman Coins....It's the best place for those too. Over the past few years, I've bought about 500 coins.

[Bob Nieman]

I am looking for a sewing machine for the LOML. Her current machine sounds terrible and the foot control has a short. We saw one at WalMart and a blank space where another quilting machine should be, so I looked for info on the 'net (reviews are hard to find! I sure wish I could find a quilting equivalent to Sawmill Creek)

Anyway, the "missing" machine is on ebay at a great starting bid. I looked at it and could hardly believe all the disclaimers:

All items that [company name] sell on eBay appear to be in good condition.

Please be advised that the items for sale are consumer returns and there is a chance that the merchandise is defective, may have missing componants or minor scratches or defects.

We do not and will not plug in or power up the merchandise to verify functionality.

Accessories such as remote controls, batteries, cables or paperwork may or may not be included.

All of our merchandise is sold As-Is.

It is important that all bidders understand what they are bidding on and feel confident that they are dealing with an honest and reputable company. Please review our feedback comments to get the best sense of how our customers enjoyed their [seller name] buying experience. [94.5% rating]

This site poses a degree of RISK for buyers and is not for every bidder. We want to be very clear and upfront about these items. There are no refunds for inventory that is defective or DOA. The pricing on the auction site is reflective of the risk a buyer takes.

All sales are final. There are no returns or exchanges unless the item you receive is a different model from that which you won in a [company name] auction.
If an item is not the same model as that in the description please contact us within 48 hours of receipt and we will make arrangements to exchange the product.
If an item is not available, we will refund your money immediately.
Once the 48 hour window has passed, we will not extend exchange priviledges or refunds.



Mind you, most of the comments are actually very positive--they got items for really low prices. Some of the negative comments are for items that didn't work, but what do you expect from a DVD player for $15?
I'm not sure that my tolerance for risk will allow me to bid on this machine. I couldn't find any reviews and it is apparently discontinued.

And yes, I know how much real sewing machines cost, but I have been told repeatedly that she does not want a Bernina, etc. No fancy electronics, etc, just something to make quilts with. I believe her ;)

BTW, I currently have a bid in for an old printer's tray that I fully expect to lose in the last minute. If I should somehow survive the sniping, I will install it under my workbench for screws and other miscellaneous hardware items.