The no.1 auction site - going, going gone! (ebay.com)

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	ebay.com
Date:	08/11/08 (189 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Get just about anything, great for buyers, good protection, reducing amount of tat

Disadvantages: High seller fees

I have read many reviews recently about Ebay's increase in seller fees and how this is having a detrimental effect on casual traders. Personally, this does not affect me as I now only ever buy. I would not even contemplate selling on Ebay again.

A few years ago I gave up carp fishing and decided to clear out all my gear (and if any of you are carp fishermen or have ever done so you will know the amount of stuff required!) by punting it on Ebay. I spent hours photographing each individual item, preparing the listings and starting off the auction.

On the top branded products I made super profits, I recall one item that actually sold for more than if it was bought brand new, although I did make a loss on most of the items.

The money I made did not justify the time, effort and hassle of posting everything off and the fees were massive. I was astounded that I had to pay to list the item, pay for a title, pay for this, pay for that, pay a success fee and then pay to extract my cash out of paypal. It was then I vowed never to sell on Ebay again.

****Buying on Ebay****

Ebay for buyers is great although you do need to take a bit of care. It is advisable to check feedback, look at the items other people have bought and note down the date the item was bought to compare to the date of feedback. This gives some indication of delivery time.

Carry out a bit of research on the item. Can it be bought cheaper elsewhere? I was looking for a micro SD card. They were selling at £5 + on ebay. A bit of an internet search and I found an online shop selling them for £1.49 plus £1.49 postage for genuine Kingston. Although sceptical of the authenticity I ordered one and when it arrived I went on the Kingston site, tapped in the serial number and it was genuine. Bonus! Ebay was obviously not best this time.

I note from reviews that you don't get 'bargains' anymore due to the increase in seller fees stopping people from selling their stuff. In my experience I found this cheap stuff to be tat anyway, but I appreciate one man's trash is another man's gold and all that.

If buying like this is your thing (and I know there are many people that do enjoy it) then there are other places such as car boot sales, charity shops, flea markets and the like. I realise that you can't buy from the comfort of your own home and that you actually have to make an effort but I thought that the experience of haggling and interacting with the sellers was the appeal.

With the reduction in these cheapie products I think that the quality of Ebay has actually improved as it is now full of traders selling good quality items. I now longer have to trawl through pages of rubbish.

I disagree with comments that there are no bargains left on Ebay. There are loads of bargains to be had, it is just the approach in finding and securing these. Auctions are no longer the way to go. It is pointless getting in to a bidding war as the price generally goes through the roof and there is the potential for the seller to get friends and family to make false bids in an attempt to push the price up. I think this is common practice amongst sellers. My mates have done it and so have I in the past (whilst selling my fishing gear - there was no way I was going to let my beloved bait boat go for less than half I paid for it when it was only a few months old), although I have got stung with this as a mate did win a couple of items.

I have found the best way to secure a bargain is to look for buy it now and best offer items. Search by newly listed items and don't be afraid to put in a 'stupid' offer. It starts the negotiation process and sometimes its even accepted. I recently bought a second hand I-phone for £100 using this method. The item was in excellent condition, boxed etc. so I sold it on for £175 via the intranet at work.

I admit I was lucky with the I-phone. Whilst I managed to get a bargain I missed out on around 12 of them since they go within minutes of being listed and it seems many people have the same idea I do.

I have been ripped off on Ebay a couple of times and the first was a few years ago before the paypal protection was introduced. I bought a PSP that never turned up. After a month I opened up a dispute to claim my money back. Cutting a long story short, the whole process took around 2 and a half months and at the end of it I lost £25 in admin fees and £15 postage and packing (yep - the extortionate P&P fees applied by many sellers to reduce their costs).

The second time was paypal protected and I got the money back after 12 days in full.

****Buying from international sellers****

Many buyers believe that the bargains to be had are in the USA. A lot of items are much cheaper on the other side of the Atlantic but getting them in to this country can work out expensive and the actual savings made (if any - some items work out more expensive) are likely to be minimal. There are so many factors to consider such as the exchange rate (factor this if paying using paypal as well), import duty at 6%, VAT at 17.5%, the additional delivery time and the additional worry that it may not be delivered.

There is the slim chance that you may find an American seller willing to mark the item as a gift, hence eliminating the VAT and import duty. If you find one of these then it is likely that you have found a fraudster since reputable companies will not do this as if they caught there could be significant consequences.

***Conclusion****

Ebay is still a great place to buy and there are many bargains to be had. The seller fees have increased, granted, but this has benefited the buyer through increased protection against fraudulent sellers. The caveat emptor concept is unfair and the buyers take all the risks.

If buyers don't pay then sellers will not post the goods. If buyers pay and sellers don't post the goods then it is the buyer that loses out. So the seller has to pay the fee, but it gets the chance to re-list the item and once sold they get the initial success fee reimbursed so they haven't lost out.

Personally, I would avoid purchasing from the USA, although others may feel the potential benefits outweigh the negatives.

Ebay, whilst good should be just another tool for online shopping. You shouldn't discount other online shops as real bargains may be missed!

Summary: Best used in conjunction with other online stores instead of in isolation