eBay woes

Cadet Chuck

eBay was great 10 years ago, when it was small and personal.  Now it is a pain to use, full of scammers, big wheeler-dealers, and you gotta use PayPal which I don't trust.  I haven't used it for many years.

I don't think so.. Ebayl in the past is very slack in their moderating and plenty of fake goods flow on the web. It seems they realise they are losing customer and they start to get their act recently. Now fake goods are quicky removed. Scammer account quickly closed.

But one thing bad about ebay is they are over protective of buyer while ignoring seller right. If you are more of buyer, that's good. But if you are more of a seller, beware of some scam bag. And so far, I have no issue with paypal.

I have started restricting my listings to US Only as well.  Overseas takes too long to arrive, has a greater chance of being crushed to a plastic pulp, and is way too expensive to ship.  I don't even look in Canada anymore most of the time.  The shipping to and from Canada is ridiculous.  I will still sell to Canada, but I make it absolutely clear what the shipping will be.  The ridiculous thing that really bugs me is that sometimes it's less expensive to order from say..  China or Taiwan, than it is to get the same thing in the US.  This is mostly for small stuff like paint and such.  Luckily I have found a reasonable US seller or two that have reasonable prices on paints I can't get locally.  One of which has really fast shipping.  But honestly, how much more can the PO gouge us for postage before we simply can't afford to ship through them anymore?  Heck, I remember the big stink when postage went from .05 to .07.  The big problem the eBay sellers have is that they have to pay these increased shipping fees for their inventory as well as mailing the items to the customers.  This raises both the shipping and the base item price.  Not much can be done though.  They are still the least expensive.  And Priority mail is still the best deal for the speed and price.

Rich

Rob Gronovius

 

Sparrowhyperion:

 

I don't necessarily exclude BIN items.  If you do a most recently listed search and let it search BINs as well as Auctions, you sometimes come up with a real gem.  You get folks who are selling off an estate and have absolutely no idea what it is actually worth which is how I got one of my C57Ds and my B-36.  Sometimes you can find someone who is moving inn x amount of days and has got to sell an item quickly and cuts the price to nearly nothing.  One of my B17Gs will attest to that... lol  It's all about patience and being willing to spend some time looking.  Remember the eBay buyers Mantra when it comes to sellers... "Newbies are your best friends..."

Rich

 

 

If I am looking for something in particular, like say resin wheels for a Stryker, I will search all. When I am just browsing and looking for a great deal, then I exclude BIN and often times narrow the search to North America or US only. No sense geting a great deal if you pay double the auction price in shipping. Although I do understand the shipping price issue. When I sold a bunch in Feb, all my local post office had was the flat rate $10.75 boxes. I hated listing kits for sale with that much shipping. Fortunately, I checked back about mid way thru the auction and they had the non-flat rate boxes which dropped the price down to about $7.50.

Sometimes when I'm feeling frugal, I'll even set my price range at $10-20 max.

Sparrowhyperion

I don't necessarily exclude BIN items.  If you do a most recently listed search and let it search BINs as well as Auctions, you sometimes come up with a real gem.  You get folks who are selling off an estate and have absolutely no idea what it is actually worth which is how I got one of my C57Ds and my B-36.  Sometimes you can find someone who is moving inn x amount of days and has got to sell an item quickly and cuts the price to nearly nothing.  One of my B17Gs will attest to that... lol  It's all about patience and being willing to spend some time looking.  Remember the eBay buyers Mantra when it comes to sellers... "Newbies are your best friends..."

Rich

If I am looking for something in particular, like say resin wheels for a Stryker, I will search all. When I am just browsing and looking for a great deal, then I exclude BIN and often times narrow the search to North America or US only. No sense geting a great deal if you pay double the auction price in shipping. Although I do understand the shipping price issue. When I sold a bunch in Feb, all my local post office had was the flat rate $10.75 boxes. I hated listing kits for sale with that much shipping. Fortunately, I checked back about mid way thru the auction and they had the non-flat rate boxes which dropped the price down to about $7.50.

Sometimes when I'm feeling frugal, I'll even set my price range at $10-20 max.

CallSignOWL

fermis:

 

 

 

OOOOOOOoo, that one might be tough. Haven't seen one of them in a while. I'll keep an eye out though. What's your price range?

We had a Kay-bee toy outlet near us about a dozen years ago that would offload AMT/ERTL kits real cheap. They had a few varieties of 135s for $5.99. Can't believe I didn't buy em all out! I did get a few A-20s and P-40s though for $2.99 a pop!

 

 

I've been trying to get this kit for my Grandfather because he flew on them during Vietnam. Officially, I set my limit at $40, however this kit is an exception. Mom says she'll cover half of whatever the kit costs me, but try not to go too high though!!

I sent you what amounts to a private message through this site about the RC 135. E-mail me at ajlafleche@comcast.net and we'll talk.

I don't necessarily exclude BIN items.  If you do a most recently listed search and let it search BINs as well as Auctions, you sometimes come up with a real gem.  You get folks who are selling off an estate and have absolutely no idea what it is actually worth which is how I got one of my C57Ds and my B-36.  Sometimes you can find someone who is moving inn x amount of days and has got to sell an item quickly and cuts the price to nearly nothing.  One of my B17Gs will attest to that... lol  It's all about patience and being willing to spend some time looking.  Remember the eBay buyers Mantra when it comes to sellers... "Newbies are your best friends..."

Rich

Wabashwheels

Rich, Rob.  I'm with you 100%.  ebay/ Paypal are a great combination.  Rob, I like the "auctions only" tip.  I hadn't used it before.  I also like the auction amount option, where you can control the price of merchandise you are looking at.  It's good when you are in the bargain mood.  I feel very safe with paypal.  Remember the hassle years ago, when you had to either get a money order or wait while your personal check had to clear before the seller would send your items.  Good luck bidding.  I'm probably that w..w anonymous guy you're going up against.  It's all fun.  Rick. 

Rich, Rob.  I'm with you 100%.  ebay/ Paypal are a great combination.  Rob, I like the "auctions only" tip.  I hadn't used it before.  I also like the auction amount option, where you can control the price of merchandise you are looking at.  It's good when you are in the bargain mood.  I feel very safe with paypal.  Remember the hassle years ago, when you had to either get a money order or wait while your personal check had to clear before the seller would send your items.  Good luck bidding.  I'm probably that w..w anonymous guy you're going up against.  It's all fun.  Rick. 

I've been using eBay since Oct. of 2001.  As long as you take a few basic no-brainer precautions, it's very safe and you can get some incredible deals.  I almost always get my kits there, because I simply can't afford them in brick and mortar shops and I can find just about anything I need there.  Finishing supplies are much less expensive as well.  As for PayPal..  I have been using it since Day 1.  I have never had an issue with it, and it is totally safe.  The few times I have had no show merchandise, or something not as it was advertised, and a seller who wouldn't refund, they have handled the problem quickly and they will give you a refund and then they will deal with the seller.  You do NOT have to give them a CC if you don't want to.  They can work with just your savings account, but I use my debit card Visa.  It's easy, convenient and easy to use.

You are right about a few things.  eBay has gotten very large but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  We have no mom and pop hobby shops left in our area and the one HobbytownUSA is expensive with a rather limited selection.  I can find anything I need on eBay and usually a LOT less expensive than Hobbytown.  I was in another thread where a user got s really good deal, and I listed a few of my major scores like the Forbidden Planet C57D for $19.95 including shipping (Brand new and sealed), and the other one I got a couple of weeks later to use as a builder so I could stash the unopened one.

That's just one example.  Some people tend to be leery of eBay because of all of the horror stories they hear about eBay.  Most of those stories are either exaggerated or just made up.  

Last night I managed to pick up 2 1/48 kits, a Monogram Canadaire Sabre and a Scalecraft F104 for a total of $17 including shipping.  Still sealed.  I have used this seller a few times and they have some great deals from estate sales.  You just need some patience to find the good deals. I have over 1400 feedbacks at 100% to give you an idea of how often I have used it in the last 10 years.  Without a single major problem.

Rich

Cadet Chuck

eBay was great 10 years ago, when it was small and personal.  Now it is a pain to use, full of scammers, big wheeler-dealers, and you gotta use PayPal which I don't trust.  I haven't used it for many years.

Been using eBay without problems since 1997 (user ID rgronovius with feedback of 1103, 100% positive). Used it as both a buyer (vast majority) and seller (I can usually make $500 or more in a month selling some of my more collectable kits).

Rule #1. There will always be another one just like it. Might be later in the day, next week or next month, but it'll be there.

Rule #2. Bid in the final minute. Better within the final 20 seconds. After a while you can get good enough to do so in the final 10 seconds. Results in getting it for the lowest price you can or else somebody gets it for whatever the minium bid increment is over your maximum. Prevents you from getting caught in the moment and entering into a bidding war driving the final auction price into the insane realm. Remember Rule #1.

Rule #3. Use that "Auctions Only" tab at the top of your search results. It will eliminate all the power sellers and eBay store sellers listing their thousands of retail priced items. It will narrow your browsing to basically guys like you and me trying to pick up some great deals or getting rid of kits that you no longer have interest in, time to build, or space for storing. Or, unfortunately, really need the money for rent, food, or other such pressing life expenditures.

Rule #4. Remember Rule #1.

Vendors tables at shows are great in that you can find good prices and haggle for even better prices.  But like was said, ebay is available at  your beckoning.  You can focus your searches by model, scale, price, and even seller.  Granted, the "Buy it Now's are generally a PITA.  Although when you are looking for a particular decal sheet or detail kit it is nice to buy then and get them shipped right away.  I have favorite sellers for these items and usually look through their inventories first.  For kits I usually troll for great buys.  I've got a shelving unit full of great Tamiya, Hasegawa, Academy, Accurate Miniatures, and ProModeler  aircraft just from patient casual bids that seem to survive when a kit "falls through the cracks".  It is either wisdom or my cheap a$$ personality.  I will set my price, including the cost of shipping.  Make my bid for that amount, and let it ride.  If there is a little bidding war at the end and someone beats me out, I'll just move on to the next target.  It's satisfying to lose a kit that ends up selling for $30, but end up winning the same kit two days later for $20.  I really get a kick out of the situation where I have set my bid, it has remained the high bid for 3 or 4 days, and then with three seconds left some guy scoots in a bid, but it was still lower than my high bid.  That's when it would be nice to talk a little trash.  So as you can tell, I've made a positive experience out of ebay.  Funny thing is that I will probably become a seller in a few years, when I need to get rid of this mountain of a stash.  Lord knows that I have enough plastic to keep me busy for a lifetime.  Rick

What can we say?  eBay is an auction, after all, regardless of the medium used to give everyone access to that auction.  If you've ever visited a live auction, you'll find that it's not that much different--in the end, you can be outbid, because you're going to bid up to a maximum amount that you feel you would pay for the item.

It is true that an online auction is a different from a live auction, in that we'll react a little differently in a face-to-face situation, compared to the anonymity of the Internet.  eBay did have more of that face-to-face character back in the early days, when they still displayed the actual userids of the bidders.  I know that I got to know some of my competitors through bidding on the same auctions.  I enjoyed the competition, though I can appreciate why eBay changed the policy, because it was easier for someone to contact other bidders, under those conditions.  But it reminded me more of being at live auctions, where I could see the people I was bidding against.

The great thing about eBay is, of course, the availability, 24/7.  Instead of having to wait till Fridays (when most auctions around here are held) and having to take off work, you can participate at any time from almost anywhere.  But still, there's always someone willing to bid more than you, or who is faster on the draw.  And the other great thing about eBay is that there's usually another auction coming up for the same thing, generally speaking and depending on what you're collecting.  For us modelers, there's always another copy of the kit around the corner.

The winning bid will always be just $0.50 more than the second highest, if it makes you feel better just realize that bidder might have been willing to go $100 more than you.

I stopped doing the bid a little and watch thing many years ago, it gets frustrating and it is easy to get into a bidding war and go over the amount you really wanted to pay. Now I just put in my max bid and walk away. I'll check back when the auction is over and see if I won, and if I didn't how much it sold for.

You do not end up paying any more by putting a max bid of $40, on an item with a starting price of $10 than you do by going up $0.50 at a time. Ebay will automatically add $0.50 to any bids until it hits your max bid. If no one bids, you get it for $10, if the other biders go to $35.00 then you get it for $35.50. 

I found it a lot less stressful that way, and no more of that yay I won,   crud I paid how much?

OWL...

I hate when that happens. I'd also rather buy something that I can see in person first, but sometimes Ebay is the only option (especially for OOP or hard to find stuff). I recently won 2 of my "most wanted", a 1/48 F-82G Twin Mustang & a 1/48 F3D-2 Skyknight. Both kits have been OOP for some time now.

The F-82 was a good deal, the box was banged up, but the kit was complete. The F3D was a little more expensive, but I got it cheaper than I've seen them sell for recently. When the F3D arrived, I found it was factory sealed, but upon inspection, it had 2 left wings & no right wing! Not the seller's fault, but very frustrating! 

Let the buyer beware! 

I've lost many bids in the last couple of seconds. When you get the high bid, your heart races like a rabbit until the final seconds. It's also quite satisfying to win a bid in the final seconds.

I think the bidding is part of the allure. It's more satisfying winning something that someone else wants equally as bad. Anyone can buy it at the store, if it's available.

I never bid more then what an item is worth retail. I just go with a comfortable price and stick with it. I always bid on an item in the last minute if possible.

fermis

 

 

 

OOOOOOOoo, that one might be tough. Haven't seen one of them in a while. I'll keep an eye out though. What's your price range?

We had a Kay-bee toy outlet near us about a dozen years ago that would offload AMT/ERTL kits real cheap. They had a few varieties of 135s for $5.99. Can't believe I didn't buy em all out! I did get a few A-20s and P-40s though for $2.99 a pop!

I've been trying to get this kit for my Grandfather because he flew on them during Vietnam. Officially, I set my limit at $40, however this kit is an exception. Mom says she'll cover half of whatever the kit costs me, but try not to go too high though!!

CallSignOWL

thanks, fermis. Its the RC-135 Rivet Joint in 1/72 scale. 

OOOOOOOoo, that one might be tough. Haven't seen one of them in a while. I'll keep an eye out though. What's your price range?

We had a Kay-bee toy outlet near us about a dozen years ago that would offload AMT/ERTL kits real cheap. They had a few varieties of 135s for $5.99. Can't believe I didn't buy em all out! I did get a few A-20s and P-40s though for $2.99 a pop!

eBay was great 10 years ago, when it was small and personal.  Now it is a pain to use, full of scammers, big wheeler-dealers, and you gotta use PayPal which I don't trust.  I haven't used it for many years.

thanks, fermis. Its the RC-135 Rivet Joint in 1/72 scale. 

Never had that problem, but then again, I don't use E-bay. What kit are you trying to get. We have a show on the 9th, I can keep an eye out for ya!

Gotta admit, I've not yet purchased from E-Bay.

Lately, many of the kits I wanted are being re-issued.

I think that's a good thing................

I've never been out-bid on ebay (though I can't say I buy much from there) but I did get nailed when buying something off a forum... Someone got to it, I kid you not, 30 seconds before me. He squeaked the post in before I could get it... and it was a fantastic deal too. It's frusterating... I know.

Probably happens to everyone. I must have bid on a dozen Hase Ki-45's with the fuel truck before I "won" the kit. It doesn't help that when it comes to Ebay, I'm a definite bottom feeder! I've seen kits go there for more than MSRP, but I won't bid beyond what I think is reasonable no matter how bad I want the goods.

So hang in there - you'll get the one you want at your price. And like they say, Happy Bidding!

mike