eBay ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Downright Ugly
Written: Apr 8, 2004 (Updated Apr 8, 2004)
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| Full Review |
When I first stumbled upon eBay several years ago, I was like a kid in a candy store. Oh what wonders I found here! I became an addict in short order. So will you.
eBay is an online auction site with just about anything you could possibly think of for sale. One man's junk is another man's treasure, or so they say. Nothing is too silly for eBay. Mostly I've bought swords, shields, Medieval garb, German Steins, and books.. but there is sooo much more here. For heavens sake you can even buy your next car here!
It seems a bit daunting when you first arrive. You'll need to make an account with all the usual info.. name, address, etc.. and pick a nickname. At first you'll be given a set of sunglasses which lets everyone know you're new.. ugh I hated that phase. Don't worry. It won't last long. Just make sure you pay fast for anything you win and you'll soon gain a positive reputation.
Each time you win a bid the seller will leave feedback on your account stating how quick you pay and how easy you were to deal with. Build a strong feedback trail and you'll have it made. I suggest doing this with buying before you jump into selling. Folks are leery to bid on items from someone with little feedback, so do build that up first. Also, make sure you return the favor and leave feedback for the folks you bought from.
That feedback is a must. Before bidding on anything, do check the sellers rating. Look for any negative comments and pay attention to what they say, then look at the feedback on the person who left it to see if they're just cranky jerks or had a legitimate beef. heh. It happens, trust me.
Finding items is a breeze. If anything, you'll find too many items! It helps to narrow your search down a bit. For example, instead of searching the database for 'Stein', search for 'German Lidded Stein.' Some of the initial searches I made would turn up thousands of items. You'll learn with time how to get to exactly what it is you want.
Do know this: eBay's policies aren't the greatest. You are dealing with individual sellers here, eBay is just providing the forum, so they really don't back up any sales very well at all, and when they do it isn't usually for the full amount and you have to jump through hoops to get that.
When you're ready to start selling, you have to go through an identification process. For me, they asked me some questions from my Credit Report.. such as what loan was with who. This is to make sure you really are you. It's annoying, but it helps cut down on fraud.
I really have run into very little fraud in my several years of buying and selling though. For the most part it's a great place to do business.
When you list items for sale, you are charged various fees based on the listing price and the final sale price. These add up quick over the month's billing cycle. Here is where I have my main beef with eBay. They habitually double-banged my debit card. No, I'm serious. It wasn;t a one time mistake. I'm convinced they do this as a rule because it happened so often to me. Oh, they reverse the error after a few days after being notified, but in the meantime that could put you into overdraft and they will not pay those overdraft fees unless you seriously strong arm them like I did.
I'm not sayin gnot to do business here because of that.. I'm just saying to watch your billing account close. You'll know what day they are going to pop you, so check daily around that time and for a week after so you can catch it quickly. heh.
If you are planning to sell, I'll give you some words of advice. Always describe the item as much as possible.. including any possible flaws. I want to know if there are any pits in that sword, or dents in that shield. It won't keep me from buying it, but it will keep me from being angry when it arrives. Having a picture of the item posted helps a ton too. I once won an auction on a cloak for under 20 bucks simply because she had no picture on the auction so nobody else bid. Shame that. She screwed herself because it turned out to be my favorite cloak even to this day.
Always answer your emails as promptly as possible. If you are going to be out of town during the auction, say so in your ad. We understand that perfectly.
Change your password frequently. There is a little bit of a problem with hi-jacked accounts, this is the only way you can try to guard yourself from that.
I guess my last words of pseudo-wisdom would be to give folks the benefit of the doubt. If something arrives and isn't quite right, email the seller and inquire nicely before posting negative feedback on them. Chances are they'll make everything right for you. Once you leave a negative, you can never take it back.
I spose my bottom line is that eBay is a fun place of wonders if you use it wisely, but can be a nightmare if you aren't careful. Use common sense and you'll have a blast... but your spouse may get mad! heh.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Gads, you name it!
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About the Author
Member: Lori Leidig
Location: Sweden
Reviews written: 647
Trusted by: 765 members
About Me: Game over.
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