A great site for bargains but it has it's pitfalls. (ebay.co.uk)

Member Name: gayle04

Product:	ebay.co.uk
Date:	09/01/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, well presented site, great idea, can sell unwanted items

Disadvantages: Dodgy goods, bad sellers/buyers

I suppose it is quite hard to write a review of ebay because largely it is going to be based on the people who sell/buy things on ebay rather than the actual site or a company. However, I thought I would try and share my experiences with the site anyway as I do use it a lot and it certainly has it's positives and negatives.

For anyone who doesn't know what ebay is (I'm not sure I believe there is anyone out there who doesn't but nevermind!), it is an online auction site where people can sell second hand things off that they don't want, or sell things that are brand new without having to set up their own online business. There are millions and millions of products on the site, in too many categories to list here but the chances are, whatever you are looking to buy, you will be able to find it on ebay (even if it is a used, black and white stripey sock!).

I suppose that brings me to the first thing I like about ebay, the fact that you can almost always find what you are looking for. There are so many sellers on the site, and so many items listed that the odds are, whatever you are looking for will be listed on there not just once, but many times from various sellers. This means that the prices are very competitive (even if you are buying something brand new) as people are not only competing with other online retailers, they are also competing with other sellers on ebay to attract buyers. If I am looking for a DVD or book, or any other item which I wouldn't mind getting second hand then this is where I would look first.

Another positive of ebay is that it gives you a place to sell any unwanted things you have and to make some extra cash. This can come in very handy after christmas when you get given a gift (which you find out has rubbish reviews on dooyoo...) and don't want to keep it. I have sold many items on ebay, mainly clothes, games and books and I have had very few problems. You do get the odd buyer who doesn't pay up and it is very frustrating when this happens as you have to list your item all over again and wait for the auction to end again, but on the whole, the people out there are honest, genuine buyers looking to get a bargain. Ebay also has lots of procedures in place to ensure you don't lose out if this happens, and their customer service is very good. They always get back to you within a day or two giving you advice on how to proceed.

Something I don't like about ebay is the amount of fake branded things out there, copied DVDs and games and generally, there is a lot of tat up for sale. I don't mind too much when the buyer states that it is fake but if they don't, you end up paying top whack for rubbish goods. I bought some pink GHD straighteners from a seller for £100 last year which turned out to be fake. They didn't work very well at all, and in fact I later spoke to a woman who had bought some for her daughter and they had blown up in her hands. Obviously this kind of thing can be pretty dangerous and if you paid by an unprotected method (e.g. cheque or bank transfer rather than paypal) you wouldn't get your money back. Thankfully I did pay with paypal so I got my money back but it was still a very negative experience.

I have also bought some items of clothing from ebay which were used but supposed to be in excellent condition. However, when they arrived, they were VERY worn and some even had holes in. Again, I have managed to get my money back each time this happens but you have to be careful. Always pay with paypal as it is so much safer. Sometimes you really don't know what you are going to get.

As far as the website is concerned it is very well presented and easy to navigate once you get the hang of it. The only thing I don't like is that they keep changing things like the way or order items are displayed in and it always has me confused for a few days! Then again, maybe I just don't like change.

Overall, I would recommend ebay to anyone looking to buy something secondhand, or even new as long as the seller has a good feedback score. Don't expect to buy and buy and buy over and over without having a negative experience though, it does happen and the chances are, it will happen to you so be careful.

Summary: I use this site regularly and although I've had a few problems, it hasn't put me off!