Does anyone here purchase things from ebay?

What's been your experience?

I know if I do I'll pay through Paypal only.

Yes, I use Ebay often.

I have only had 2 negative experiences. Since then when I joined they have cleaned up sellers quite a bit. Now I find them very eager to please you.

It depends on what you buy too.
A very popular item may go aggressively during bidding. If that happens I typically lose because I don't bid high as a rule, and I don't have a fast ISP. Also some sellers are still using shills I think for items that don't "move" quickly. For this reason I don't bid until the last 5 minutes. It doesn't happen every time, but I get a hinky feeling when it does! Hard to convey in words.

When I bought my glass cookware it took 3 months to get what I wanted. It was a very popular back then, fall of 07.

My latest things were unusual mugs and drinking glasses, and some muu muus, and I had little trouble with those.

There is a user forum there, you can read to get an idea.
Now that PayPal is required of sellers it is better I think. Before when cash or check was allowed too, and sometimes the item was never shipped and the buyer had no protection.

I have found lately, the sellers are even sending me little refunds on the shipping with the item! You know a dollar, etc. 50 cents! This is unheard of IMO!

Avoid sellers with inflated shipping and small bid amounts. This is a scam as a rule. a .99 cent item, with shipping of $20! for a light small thing. Don't fall for it. (I only see this lately for foreign, Chinese places.) I have only purchased out side the country once in Britain, and several times with one supplier in Australia. Both were honest, and the items came quickly. I had one item from S.Africa from 2 ladies...they were nice too.

Sometimes Ebay items are cheaper at Amazon or Google. If you find something on Ebay, search it elsewhere and see if that is true for you. I saw a great trowel on Ebay and it was $25 + shipping. The exact same trowel was $12.98 at Lowe's.

But on the other hand I found some moisture proof salt shakers (which I could not find last year at all) on Ebay this month, where I could not find them at all locally or anywhere! I got 2 for $10.98 on Ebay, free shipping.

I like to look around on Ebay, it can be very entertaining sometimes ....LOL

Yes, I buy and sell on ebay. And I agree never purchase anything from anyone who does not accept paypal as paypal can be a lifesaver if you don't get the right product or if it never shows up.

Depending on what you buy you may want to check the seller ratings and the location. China has been big in the ebay market since ebay allowed international selling... which pretty much put me out of business as their prices are lower than what it cost me to buy and they get away with not charging for shipping. The two things I have ordered form Hong Kong have been "you get what you pay for" lessons. The one I wanted to send back and paypal agreed and the seller agreed but by the time i paid for shipping back to the company it would have cost more than what i paid for the worthless piee of junk.

I've been buying on Ebay for years. I used to sell too before the MS took over my brain.

Check feedback. Don't just look at the percentage, go in there and see what people had to say about the seller.

I buy and (used to sell) only with Paypal from US sellers. Make sure the seller is reasonable with shipping costs and read their policies about returns, etc. It will all be there in the auction listing.

I just found a part for my (a discontinued model) pressure cooker on Ebay. I couldn't rofind it anywhere else. I think Ebay is great for this kind of stuff.

I really haven't had but a couple of minor problems and I've had hundreds of transactions over the years.

Good Luck !

We've been buying old tractor parts, car parts, and other misc hard to find things just started this year.
no problems - but we stick to USA loc & use PayPal

I sort out the free shipping and look for things there first then if it is something we really need we pay for shipping.

I like to use the auto max bid if we're busy, other wise we use the eBay Countdown {Beta}

[Win more with a new easy to use interface that delivers instant item updates and lightning fast bidding. Learn more. Click the button below to get started. You will need to login to eBay before you can use eBay Countdown.]
http://countdown.ebay.com/faq.html

I buy from Ebay, but have learned to READ THE WHOLE PRODUCT DECRIPTION. sometimes you think you are bidding on a new in the box (NIB) item, only to find they claim it as "like new" Also be sure to read how much they charge for S&H. Some only charge what it cost them, and some charge almost what the item costs itself. I DO pay attention to those seller reviews.

Use PayPal. That way the seller never sees your credit card # or your checking account #. They only know they got paid.

Be aware, many that say they garuntee the condition of the item count on an insurance policy that is taken out during shipping. That only works if the item was in good condition when packed for shipping. you cant pack a broken item, and then claim it happened in the mail. If they have a track record of that behavior it will show in their reveiws.

Dont let that count down clock scare you into bidding higher, or watch the clock down to the last second. yes, its exciting, but it can cause you to get caught up in the moment and bid way higher than you wanted to. Remember, there are normally at least a dozen more of what you seek at the same or lower prices. Dont be sucked into the excitement and over pay.

its fun, GL.

I've bought a few things on eBay and being careful, my experiences have been very positive. I find the sellers very happy to answer pre-purchase questions about their merchandise because many times the worded description isn't quite clear enough.

For example, when looking at the purchase of a Scarlet Macaw resin parrot ceiling hanging decoration. The description may say 27" bird. However, upon questioning for specific measurements, learned that was from the top ring of the perch to the tip of the tail. In actuality, the "bird" was only 12". Makes a big difference especially when comparing products with other sellers.

PayPal is a lifesaver as already mentioned. Be very attentive to reviews of the seller and if they have that special top seller designation thingy from eBay.

Bottom line, if one pays attention and ask whatever questions come to mind, you will have a very positive experience. The insights given in previous posts have been excellent.

Craig brings up a great point!

Don't hesitate to ask questions. If a seller ignores your question, send another. But if they don't respond, or respond in a strange way, DON'T buy from them.

In the past year Ebay has improved dramatically IMO. Let me give you this example:
Hubby needs a new coffee mug, so we settled on one he liked and I won that bid. When came time to ship it after I PayPal'd it the seller noticed a small chip on the rim and sent me a message about it offering to cancel the transaction! Which I did, because chips are not sanitary, etc. This was really thoughtful IMO on his part. I have also noticed that sellers are reminding buyers to put up feedback, and are very worried about negative feedback, which must trigger Ebay's security more often now. (some say right on their sale page, to contact them first with any "problem" with the item.) I've only returned one thing, which arrived and I saw instantly was misrepresented on the sale page...the seller paid for my return shipping and refunded my entire purchase price including his shipping.

Also beware of second chance offers. I suspect these are the shills used by some sellers still. I never respond to them.

Kitty, I bet with time the biggest problem you will have is controlling YOURSELF... that is what sometimes happens to me! LOL

I use it all the time but remember to read previous ratings, return policies, etc... I save a lot of money on some things that I buy regularly and paypal offers a lot of control. Someone I know even sold a boat on eBay and they ended up getting more from someone who drove from out of state compared to people around here since we don't have lakes or a good river close by.

I agree most 2nd chance offers seem like a trick, but I did use one once. I was bidding on a "like new" PS3 and it came with a ton of games, and 4 controllers...it was a nice package. I bid what I thought was a more than fair price. Another bidder kept bumping it higher dollar by dollar till she reached over what I had bid. (I sometimes wonder if someones cousin or neighbor isnt trying to bump the price sometimes) I refused to move off of what I thought was a more than fair price. Allowed her to win the item. I refused to be caught in the moment.

10 days later, the seller contacted me that this person who swooped in at the last minute to push over my bid has been a no show, no contact and no communication person. He offered to let me have the item for the last bid that was registered under my name. I refused, saying I was happy to bid my last bid BEFORE this screwy person came in and really bumped up the price. He didnt like the idea, but I said "that is what I am willing to pay. I wont go higher." He got back to me in 2 hours saying he accepted my bid. The item came and one of the controllers was broken. (they are $50 to replace) he told me all about the postal insurance, and how I had to contact them...

In the end I the post office said it appeared the item was broken from age, not from handling, as all other items were fine in the box, and the box was intact without damage. They refused the claim. Since I had 3 other controllers I didnt worry, but did wonder if it wasnt someone from his family that bumped up the price to see how high I was willing to go. Most folks will continue to bid past their limit. I refused, and he would have been forced to reauction the item.

I am very happy with the game. its an old style one that is very hard to find, so that was my goal, and I am happy with it.

Know YOUR limits. if you have a budget, stick to it. Dont allow someone else to push you past it.