gifugill 0 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Has anyone much experience buying things on ebay? I'm thinking of selling a few older things I have (electronics, camera stuff specifically), but wary about expectations. What I mean by that is that even though I can describe things etc, there must surely be misunderstandings about the condition/quality of something being sold and bought, just curious as to how that has worked out in your experience. Are there many problems like this and how are they dealt with? Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 gifugill I buy on ebay but not yet sold. You should photograph to item - sometimes more than one photo and describe it honestly. If it has a scratch or chip then say it. If it is "as new" then it is 'as new', if it is 'good, used condition' then say that. Clear descriptions sell better than vague. Feedback is where you will find out if people feel ripped off by you or not. I bought two things that ticked me off in 5 years: 1) Cordless Microphones - purchased a set years before that were great (cheapies but great)...so I bought these other ones - plenty of "located sydney, nsw, Australia" stuck everywhere claim claim claim...but when I rec'd the goods the plug was china plug and the adaptor was for europe . Problem was rectified - business sent me a new adaptor, but still claimed to be in Australia - yeah RIGHT! Maybe a one room forwarding location if you were lucky!!! Wont buy from them again because I feel they are not being honest, but product was fine in the end. 2) Jacket - v expensive designer jacket in wool never been worn as new condition. Was exactly as described with tags and all - but STANK of stale ciggie smoke. Would not buy from them again either. So if you are smoke free then that can be a good thing to add to your adverts for things that can suck in the odour. Just be honest and you will be OK. Ohh and postage - people like to know postage up front, so if you are not finding out exactly how much then use one of those pre-paid bags as your price. If you can mail it cheaper then include the change inside the envelope. Customers LOVE that! Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Well simply put - as long as you are honest and explain if there are any problems with it and also post pics of the problems - ie scratches or the such, then you should be fine. And as Mamabear says, clear descriptions are the way, and no misleading the customer. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Add to all that (and i agree 100% with mama) if you want to limit your sales to a particular geographic location or country make sure you state it in the listing. Make sure you don't under price the postage. If it is a big/bulky item, get a quote or find a way to calc postage. If you can, give an indication of the size and weight so the buyer can possibly calculate postage for themselves. To help with this, list your postal code which usually can be used to generate post costs. Aust Post have a calculator I have used here, but it is ONLY for local stuff. Be very up-front with any restrictions (such as "as is" condition or no returns, they might limit the price you get but it will also limit the hassles). Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 All good points from the above posters, I agree 100% I have both purchased and sold things on E-bay and honesty helps. Sometimes people want a particular item, and they sometimes are not bothered about a scratch or two, if they really want that item, but never the less always describe the product exactly as it is, including any problems and take pics from all different angles and if there are any marks, photo graph them so people can see. Also like JA said set your conditions in your ad, because if you don't and the people are not happy it will be a lot of hassle for you after. The conditions can be anything you want within reason, but just set what you are happy with. One company I dealt with on E-bay though, I wwould never deal with again, a few years a go I bought 1 gig of memory for my computer, which actually they promptly sent, but the module they sent didn't work, it was actually faulty. So just to be sure I took it to my local computer shop and asked them to check it and they comfirmed that it was indeed no good. I sent it back and asked for my money back, which actually I did get a refund, but minus the shipping costs. Instead of appologising they instead told me it was the wrong memory for my computer, which was not the case, as I had checked the mother board and memory already in the computer and purchased exactly the same module. If they hadn't of lied I would probably used them again, but oh well these things happen! Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 And also don't have any expectations on how much the thing will sell for - sometimes it goes for more/other times for less. And always add in the fees to the final price as well. Link to post Share on other sites
@tokyo 14 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Amazon is easier though they take a fair chunk, not sure about ebay never used it. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Ebay takes a listing fee depending on the starting price and also if you use paypal, fees from that too. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 eBay have a policy that you HAVE TO permit PayPal (which they own 100%) in Oz, at least. There was a move to make PayPal the ONLY option for payment in the name of buyer/seller security. Due to the hue and cry generated here, they had to withdraw that proposal. It was seen as restrictive trading. I generally prefer to use a somewhat less known local auction house (Oztion) in preference to eBay, which has become a monolith of international proportions. Might be worth looking for a local site, keeps the profits in your own country rather than exporting (at least some) to the good ole yew ess of aye. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Amazon is also very easy. No larking about with photos, but there again that means those expectations may not be met etc. And I don't know how their commission compares to ebay. Just know it's really really easy to get things up there. Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 About Amazon. Over summer I had a cleanout and put 10 games on Japan amazon - not huge blockbusters, ranging from Gamecube to PS2 games. Luckily they were all almost-new condition and I put them on there for 100 yen less than the current lowest price. 8 of the 10 were bought in the first 24 hours, the other two three days later. I was quite happily surprised. I got an average of 2000 yen for each one, so 20000 yen was most welcome. Really easy. If you have old games you don't use anymore, stick them up there - seems that people are there to buy! Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Amazon isn't an auction, then? eBay, you put a start price and a time limit. Then people bid, like in a standard auction. Top bid gets it! Downside is that you have to add in the fees that eBay charge (for a listing and for a completed sale) and postage, which is usually charged to the buyer as an extra cost. Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Sorry I should have mentioned. No, Amazon isn't an auction. Just another way to get rid of things you don't need anymore. You name the price. I thought I'd just undercut everyone by a bit to get the LOW PRICE graphic! It was just so easy though - no photos, just a minute to put it up there. They add 340 yen to the price for postage for a Cd/DVD and take off their commission. Then when someone buys, you print out the label that they provide you with and stick the thing in the post! Link to post Share on other sites
yoroshiku onegai shimasu 2 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I like the idea of that. I am going to look round and see what I have. Could do with a bit of extra beer money! Link to post Share on other sites
yoroshiku onegai shimasu 2 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Sorry, salad and good food money.... Link to post Share on other sites
midnightcharger2 0 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Also if you want to keep the item within Japan, You could go the route of Yahoo auctions. I buy items frequently and will get into the selling of items soon also. Mainly my sony PSP's I rebuild. I find that many people are wary of sending items from diffrent countries. There is the delay in recieving money if sending a M/O and the worry if the item will ever get shipped once that person selling the item has recieved the money. I use ebay at a mininum now as it takes alot longer to recieve items along with the incredible shipping charges (from the US) I have purchased from Yahoo auctions many times and yet had any problems with sellers, Bid / win / send money through the ATM to that persons account (furikomi) / recieve product within 2 days. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 funny, that! I use to use Yahoo auctions, but eBay bought them out in Oz. eBay are very agressive in keeping their "market share". Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 I took a look at some of the 2nd hand amazon listings. Curious, I saw some things for 1 yen. What would anyone get out of that? (Apart from 1 yen of course!) Why make the effort of putting something up there, then sending something off, for 1 yen? Link to post Share on other sites
snowboard 0 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Yens add up, muikabochi Link to post Share on other sites
r45 4 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Just looked at some and saw that. WFT?! Link to post Share on other sites
r45 4 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 I see lots of Fletx internet connections are practically giving away PS3s on ebay if you sign up with them. Sounds good that, wonder what the catch is (other than having to sign up!) Link to post Share on other sites
BigBoned 0 Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 I've sold a few things on amazon too. Games can get fairly decent prices especially compared to what a store would give you. Link to post Share on other sites
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