eBay: Not For Everyone
from the what-if-we-don't-like-to-bid... dept
For as big a group of users as eBay has, still there are plenty of people who would just rather buy products at a fixed price. Of course, eBay does now have the "Buy it now" feature that solves exactly that issue, but that seems like a footnote to how eBay is supposed to work. The writer here notes that the whole eBay auction takes too much time. If she wants to buy something, she just wants to buy it. She doesn't want to bid. She doesn't want to check the auction, and she doesn't want to wait a few days to find out if she got the product. For the most part, I've had a similar experience. While I have bought two or three things off of eBay, overall, I've found better prices, reliability and service just by buying at fixed price stores (including eBay's fixed price division Half.com).
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It's an auction
The whole point of eBay is that it's an auction, where you have the *chance* of maybe getting something a lot cheaper than *new*, or something rare (then you get screwed over on the extreme shipping prices anyway!)
The whole concept of selling new/buy-it-now items on eBay seems rediculous to me. I think eBay has lost its way in that respect.
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No Subject Given
I don't know about this first hand, but a friend of mine who buys a lot from EBay mentionned this...basically they put a lot of product up for auction, set the minimum price to a bit below shelf, with the buy it now option at a premium above the regular in-store price. They specify shipping to be paid by buyer and let 'er rip.
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Yes, but..
1 - getting screwed by the {buyer,seller}
and
2 - getting screwed by e-bay when {you,they} complain.
People *still* look at me funny when I tell them that eBay is the world's largest advertizing vector for garage sales. They seem to have no fscking clue what I'm talking about unless they've brought a minimum of 50 things via eBay.
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Re: Yes, but..
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No Subject Given
My wife is also in the immediate graditude camp and would much rather pay 'whatever' just to have it then and there. However, after buying running shoes, a stethoscope, nutrition bars, and medical text for her from ebay and saving hundreds of dollars of what she would have paid locally, she understands it a bit more; even more so now that we both have 'allowances' and those cost for items go directly to her 'spending power'. She now asks me to look prior to making a local purchase. Though this is only for items she doesn't feel she needs right away. The cost savings are or at least can be significant.
Of the numerous purchases I've made, I've only been 'hosed' once and it basically taught me to deal with established ebay sellers. Since then zero problems.
I do believe in the joy of 'immediate graditude' but I'm not really willing to pay a large premium to get it. Even large discounters (overstock, half.com, etc) generally can't match the prices and are often significantly over the cost of an individual ebay seller (no overhead costs are a wonderful thing).
Ebay may be the worlds largest garage sale, but with it's size and breadth, there are many rewards for those who shop there.
And no I'm not plugging Ebay the company as it's not them who you deal with, it's some anonymous seller somewhere who becomes less anonymous over time. I think I am typical, in that I know have a list of sellers I've dealt with who have the right blend of product, price and service that I always go to before hitting the other 'garage sites'.
It works, it saves. Often significant savings.
As with all things, it helps if you're an informed consumer before purchasing.
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Re: No Subject Given
Who wants to wait 5-10 days to see if they won an auction? What is the point unless you're bidding on something like a collector's item?
I 110% agree with the "get screwed by seller/ebay" comment, too. Since eBay started I've always said 1/2 of the junk on ebay is broken, the other 1/2 is stolen and much of it is both.
My last gripe about eBay: sniping. What is the point of sitting around for a 7 day auction when 1/2 the time you get sniped at the last second? I guess if you have tons of time on your hands and you can wait around for things on eBay and then pay a service to "snipe" it for you, then eBay is the right place to shop.
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Chick Thing
You quote "I've always said 1/2 of the junk on ebay is broken, the other 1/2 is stolen and much of it is both." ... what facts do you base this on, if any ?
I don't 'snipe', though I've been sniped several times. Bugs me, doesn't deter me from buying/trying again. I enter my 'max bid' and let it ride based on a very simple premise. My max bid is something less than what I would pay out right for it. It's very easy to get caught up in the 'bidding' and many sellers understand that and that's one of the attractions of putting the item up for bid instead of using 'Buy it Now'.
I thought impatience and whining were 'chick things'. My apologies as you have proven me wrong on both accounts.
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No Subject Given
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