EBay.com: Going once, going twice, sold!
Written: Dec 05 '03 (Updated Dec 05 '03)
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| Full Review |
I didn’t know why I wanted to do a review on eBay.com but I felt compelled to do it. There already were a whopping 653 reviews when I started writing this review (there are now 726, not counting this one). Why do it, then? Maybe it is because I was a fairly early adopter. I’ve been a member for over four years, so I feel like I’ve been with them for a long time and know my way around. Or it could be that I’m also a shareholder of the company, but maybe it’s a conflict of interest to extol its virtues. Nevertheless I wanted to get my two cents in. But it’s probably because I just think eBay is one of the coolest things. Ever.
I won’t go into the history of how eBay came about or anything like that. I probably shouldn’t even have to say that eBay is the largest online auction site, because I think my 9 year old cousin knows that. I prefer to think of eBay.com as a huge yard sale, with some neighbors trying to sell their goods out of their basement next door. There is seriously something for everyone here, from computers to cars to clarinets, if you’re looking for it, I can almost guarantee you’ll find it here. It is easily the largest catalog of goods available online.
eBay.com’s users are divided into two different categories: buyers and sellers. Members can be either or both. I would say 95% of the members are both. Sellers are as big as the US Postal Service or as small as me. I have thinned out my junk many times by selling it on eBay. I even had grand delusions of starting my own business on eBay.com with a friend. I have since given up on making a living there but I do occasionally list things to sell that I would like to get rid of. I am constantly amazed at what I can sell there.
Case in point: I was golfing with some friends a couple summers ago, and as we walked up to the next tee box, I found a foam putter cover. I caught up to the foursome in front of us and asked if it was one of theirs but no one claimed it, so I put it in my bag and took it home. Once I got home, I took a picture of it and posted it on eBay. I didn’t think it’d get a single bid, but sure enough, it went from its starting price of a penny all the way up to like three bucks. It cases like this that make eBay fun.
EBay is a community, no matter how you look at it. If you shop online at amazon.com, someone gets your order, goes into the warehouse and packs it up, slaps postage on it and you get it in the mail a few days later. With eBay, you have an ongoing relationship, both as the seller and the buyer. Each member has its own responsibilities and is expected to meet the other member half way.
The seller has certain expectations of him. To be a good seller, honesty is the best policy. Be honest in your descriptions, in your pictures, and in your correspondence. The seller should be willing to go the extra mile to make the buyer comfortable. I know I don’t buy anything that doesn’t have a picture included with the description. I also avoid long descriptions. Just tell me what your selling, I usually know what I’m looking for and what it does. The seller should also be prompt in replying to emails and shipping their items to the buyers. EBay has an inherent delay so the quicker you send your item, the better.
Buyers also have a few responsibilities themselves. First and foremost, you should know exactly what you are bidding on. You should know a little about the item you are looking for, including its regular retail price if you’re buying something new, or its true value when you buying Things like collectibles or antiques. You should always ask questions if you are unsure about anything. Most sellers are anxious to make a sale and will respond to your question quickly. Ebay has a great “Ask the seller a question” feature to facilitate this. Use it often. Once you’re ready to bid on an item, be aware that there are various strategies for bidding. As a buyer you’ll need to find your groove. Some people find an item they want and bid the maximum they’re willing to pay and then walk away, hoping for the best. Me, I like to live on the edge, watching the auction in the final minutes, nickel and dimeing my bid until I become the highest bidder or I reach my max. Why don’t I just enter in the max? I don’t know, it’s not as exciting. Either way, just figure out what works for you.
One aspect that fuels the “community” is the use of feedback. At the conclusion of a transaction the buyer and seller have the ability to “rate” each other on their experience dealing with the other. Based on this feedback, everyone has a number associated with their rating. There are three types of feedback: positive, neutral, or negative. For each positive feedback someone receives, their feedback rating is increased by one (unless it’s from someone who has previously left a feedback). Neutral feedback has no bearing on the feedback rating but should raise eyebrows if someone is receiving a lot of them. Negative feedback reduces the overall rating by one. Each feedback is usually accompanied by a comment from the member leaving the feedback, so read them before you act. As a seller you have the right to cancel bids from someone you think would be a non-paying bidder, so check out your bidders. As a buyer, the most accurate indication of how your transaction will go is the sellers feedback. Check out the seller’s feedback before you place a bid. Avoid sellers with a low positive feedback percentage. You could save yourself headaches. Also avoid buying high ticket items from someone who doesn’t have a lot of feedback.
That raises the biggest concern for members of eBay.com: scams and fraud. A couple Christmases ago a bunch of people got hoodwinked out of hundreds of dollars by a scumbag who posted an auction for Sony Playstation 2's and got bids over 500 dollars a pop. Unfortunately the description had the wording “You are bidding on the Sony Playstation 2 picture below,” not “pictured below.” After these people sent there money in they received an envelope with an actual picture, not the Playstation. If I remember correctly, this guy had very few (if any) feedbacks and he scammed a bunch of people and took off. Luckily he was caught, but you’ve got to be wary of these types of scams going on.
Creating an account is simple on eBay.com. You’ll need to provide the usual information but it’s relatively painless. You will have to include a credit card if you plan on selling, but that’s par for the course. Once you’ve opened an account you’ll be presented with a website that is full of features for both buyers and sellers. Almost too many to go over here, I’ll just list a couple you should be familiar with. The most useful feature is called My eBay which is a personal repository of all you activity on eBay. You can track the auctions you’ve bid on, you can flag certain auctions to “watch” but not bid on and you can see which auctions you’ve won. If you’re selling items, you can manage and track them from here, too. You can read your feedback and leave others feedback as well. You can also save favorite searches or favorite sellers. It is indispensable.
One of coolest new features that I just discovered yesterday is that you can actually add an auction to your calendar program (like Outlook or you Palm Pilot) and then have an alert when your auction is nearing its end. I know you can add items to your Watch list, but you can only watch 30 items at a time and you don’t have time to log on and check up on your auctions. I think this is easily the coolest thing eBay has offered its users in a while. Simply genius. They are always enhancing the site, so keeping up with the changes is a must.
Wow, I could literally go on for ever, but let me sum things up. eBay.com is a must for everyone to at least give a try to. It is an excellent resource to sell your garbage as well as buy other people’s treasures (you know how the saying goes). It is a thriving community that subsists on the participation of its members. By being part of that community, you have a responsibility to do your part to keep the community vibrant. Be honest and helpful and don’t have unrealistic expectations. There are a few professionals on eBay but a lot of sellers are just normal people looking to make a few bucks off their surplus. Cut them some slack. Don’t be afraid of scams and fraud, there are protections in place to shield you from unscrupulous individuals and you can also do your part by being informed and armed with knowledge about what you’re after. eBay.com can be daunting, but don’t let that stop you from taking the plunge. You’ll find it’s hard to stop once you’ve started. I heartily recommend eBay.com to all my friends and family. It’s not perfect, but I give it a solid 4.75 stars. Not a perfect 5, but close.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Ohio State Memorabilia
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Epinions.com ID:
rice75
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Member: Tony Rice
Location: Columbus, OH
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Resident Evil 4 will own your soul. Do not resist.
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