buying from e- bay

I had no problems,but it's up to you to check out the seller and the reviews he has recieved and if he has had problems.Also you must check out the shipping costs before bidding,because you could get burned with high shipping costs.And you must shop smartly for bargains,don't get caught up in bidding and end up bidding more for a kit that you can buy cheaper from a shop.

I've never had any problems buying off eBay.

You definitely should be careful about the seller though.  I only buy from US sellers and even then I still check their ratings.  Sometimes I'll even ask them a question about the kit that I already know the answer to...just to see if they're honest.  When in doubt, don't buy from 'em!

There's actually a really good tip list provided by eBay, right on the site, that has all kinds of good info. I buy kits there a lot.

When you are signed in, look in the lower left. it's called something like "marketplace safety tips".

I've bought and sold models via ebay for a long time, there are good deals to be had if your vigilant and patient. Sellers with 100% positive feedback and tons of sales to their name are pretty safe and dependable, those who have a few negative marks and few sales are more of a risk.

I've also found some great deals with sellers overseas, as long as the shipping is fair. For K59 resin sets, you don't have much of a choice and the one guy on ebay that seems to specialize in them has very fair prices and ships quite quickly considering the distance. I've made a few purchases from him and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

Sure there are crooks and gougers but you don't have to bid on that stuff.

As others have said, the main things to watch out for are shipping costs and the seller's reputation.

I personally try to keep with sellers in the US, since that is where I am, but have bought from overseas and no problems to date (fingers crossed). If a seller's site does not allow me to compute shipping costs before I enter a bid, or give me a firm idea of what the shipping cost will be, I will not use that seller, period..

The only other thing to be wary of is to NOT get into a bidding war for the kit you have to have, and you're going to die if you don't win it. Set a maximum price (including shipping!) and then stick to it!!!!! There will always be another kit, another day. Trust me on that one.

RESlusher

I've never had any problems buying off eBay.

You definitely should be careful about the seller though.  I only buy from US sellers and even then I still check their ratings.  Sometimes I'll even ask them a question about the kit that I already know the answer to...just to see if they're honest.  When in doubt, don't buy from 'em!

 

Ditto.

I've never had any serious problems other then poorly wrapped kits. I chided one guy whom was a bit of a newbie seller. I prefer lots of positive feedback on the seller.

Shipping costs isn't as important to me as the final price with shipping. If that makes sense, I will bid.

Here's a tip no one ever listens to, but I believe in it.

Use snipes. For those who don't know, these are bids sent in at the last second, automatically, to beat the current bid with the minimum amount over.

They don't always work, but they significantly increase your chance of a win.

Some of the advantages:

You place your bid on a site such as "bidslammer", linked to the eBay auction number. You place your maximum bid.

You do not have to be bidding when the auction ends. The site does it for you. You could be in bed with your wife.

By setting your maximum bid, you stick to your budget. And it may well not take that much money.

You can link multiple snipes, so that as soon as you win one, you no longer bid the rest.

They cost $ 1.00 or so, but only when you win.

Bidslammer sells them ocassionally as 2 for 1 so they only really cost $ 0.50.

Just my, whoops, 1 cent, and that was me who beat you in that last auction.