Way-hay for Ebay! (ebay.co.uk)

Member Name: gothiron

Product:	ebay.co.uk
Date:	14/09/01 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: range of items, easy to use, Cheap!

Disadvantages: Addictive, the odd dodgy customer, waiting for goods

Now that the concept of buying online is no more scary than using the ATM, it's increasingly obvious that Ebay auctions are here to stay.

Whether you view them as the online version of bootsales or the essential place to get value for money, there is no denying that they are hugely successful. But for me the attraction of ebay doesn't stop there.

OK there is that "yes" of satisfaction when you receive the confirmation that "Congratulations you are the highest bidder" as well as the whoop of excitement when you watch the previously undervalued piece of junk (in your eyes) that you are selling hit the dizzy heights of £10 but further to all of that is the revelation that things you never thought you'd be able to find for sale, let alone buy are now a more click away. The prospect of being able to nearly complete a fairly obscure comic collection (not mine!), to get that hard to find dvd or CD at a bargain price or being able to get clothes in a size that high street stores raise an eyebrow at, have been achieved through ebay.

Yes it is addictive - rushing out of a training course at coffee break to check auction status pretty well confirms that, yes you probably do buy things that you wouldn't do normally (and probably can manage without nicely) but ability to be able to see if it's worth paying a price another site's asking or whether you can get a cheaper buy throough bidding, is immensley helpful. I use it as an unofficial price guide to know whether "great deals" are really just that.

One of the best advantages I've had relayed to me was from a buyer who said that as she was disabled and on limited funds, buying through auction sites on-line meant she wasn't missing out on things she didn't want to battle to the stores to get and it was all delivered to her home.

There is a downside, spending too much money (but then an afternoon with a credit card
in the shops has the same effect), of sellers and buyers renegading on sales (rare but it does happen, but ebay is great at sorting this out if the rules are followed) and having to trust that people are honest in what they are selling but the advantages are just to immense: value for money, quirky items for presents (gothic coffin locket anyone?), getting nice things said about you through feedback, the opportunity to find people with similar interests (the comic crew in particular) as well supporting the Royal Mail through having to post all these things off! Who said the internet would be the death of the post office - i've never bought so many stamps!

Ebay - it's free to join, costs little to sell and is fun. Shop on!

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