How to be streetwise on E-bay.

[JDarvall]

Got any tips for me on using E-bay,,,,cause I'm a complete novice at it.

Still haven't bought anything. Bidded a few times.

Anything serious to worry about ?
How do you know if something you've bidded on has reached a reserve or not ? or don't they tell you. you know, I don't want to bid higher than necessary..

How often are you ripped off ?

Thanks . :)

[Ivan in Oz]

Aprio,
I'm not big into it but can give you a few tips that I do.

Open an account ONLY for eBay and have little or no money in it. Only Transfer money into it immediatly befory you pay for a won item.

I always contact the seller with a question, generally postage as I get refistered Post for Better items.

ONLY pay into an account, NOT Western Union or the like,
ELSE COD as you pick it up.

Check out their feedback.
Be careful if the item they are selling is VERY :eek: :eek:
different to what the feedback items are.
eg, Dumpster Truck Tyres sold where all the feedback is for Paper Doilies and Knitting :confused: :confused: :mad:
Check out where else the sane/similar item is sold.

I'm looking at some Knives and/or Cleavers on ePay, then found and went to www.everten.com.au much better, and good advice.

Don't give out your eBay name

Careful of eBay lookalikes who want to "Confirm" you account details. :cool:

[duckman]

Got any tips for me on using E-bay,,,,cause I'm a complete novice at it.

Still haven't bought anything. Bidded a few times.

Anything serious to worry about ?
How do you know if something you've bidded on has reached a reserve or not ? or don't they tell you. you know, I don't want to bid higher than necessary..

How often are you ripped off ?

Thanks . :)

Always check the sellers feedback. If he or she has a lot of feedback then looking through it is a PITA. Its really only the negative and neutral feedback that is of interest so I use this free website to filter just the negative and neutral feedback.
http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs

All you have to do is copy and paste the seller's eBay ID and then wait. :)

If an item has a reserve price, then that will be indicated in their ad. From memory, a message appears near the current price until the reserve has been met.

Wait until the last few seconds before bidding. If you don't then you'll get into a bidding war with others which drives the price up. That's great if you're a seller, no good if you're a bidder. :D

I do this by "sniping" my bid. That means I use a web based service to bid on my behalf. By default, bids are place 6 seconds before the auction ends. Apart from keeping the price down, it means that you don't have to be in front of your computer when the auction ends in fact your computer doesn't even have to be running and nor do you have to be online. Very handy when auctions end 1) while you're at work 2) during the wee small hours of the morning.

The Auction Sniper I use is here...
http://www.auctionsniper.com/

Your first 3 snipes are free. After that you pay a small percentage of the winning bid. If a snipe goes in, but you don't win the item, you don't pay the sniper. If you decide to use it, I'd appreciate you putting me down, biggles1024 as the referrer. If you do, I get 3 free snipes. :)

I've been ripped off once. It was a DVD of Apocalypse Now. About $21.00 all up. Realistically, there is no comeback.

I've also bought some fairly expensive items however one, an atic ladder I picked up from the manufacturer, the second, a treadmill was delivered by the seller who runs a retail outlet and the third was a pair of nail guns to replace my old ones. That purchase totalled around $550.00 in round figures, the seller had a really low feedback rating, 6 from memory, but the other items he'd sold plus his emailed communication to me and others gave me the confidence to bid and I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

HTH,

Mark.

[Sir Stinkalot]

Here are my ebay rules:

1. Know the price of the item new. It is often the case that things sell much higher than retail. The cheap $30 M10 turning tools spring to mind often selling for over $50 .... used :eek:

2. Set your limits to what you think is good value, not what other bidders think.

3. Check feedback of the seller .... the best guide that ebay offers.

4. Only spend as much as you are happy to loose. It is never nice to have a sale go bad but if you have limits that you are prepaired to loose it can be ok. If the item is a high price see if you can either pickup or do cash on delivery through Australia Post.

5. If you miss an item too bad it will come up again one day.

6. Never place and even bid. $1.01 beats $1.00 every day.

7. Place you bid near the end of the auction to prevent interest in the auction.

8. Enter your maximum price. Ebay will automatically up your bid by the minimum increment until the auction is over. If somebody bids over your maximum price you miss out .... but after all it is more than you were willing to pay.

9. If there is a reserve it will indicate near the price that reserve has not yet been reached. If the bidding starts at $1.00 and the reserve is $10 you can put in your maximum bid as $15 and it will stop at $10 until somebody bids against you. It will then increase when people bid against you until it reaches your $15 limit and then it will stop.

There are plenty of people with bad ebay experiences but there are also plenty of people who will rip you off away from ebay as well.

[Grunt]

Know how much the item is worth and don't bid above that. I once sold a DVD that I bought at K-Mart for $14 for $26.

I bid as late as possible. I put in my maximum bid with about 45 seconds to go.

Only buy off of people who have excellent ratings and have bought/sold more than 10 things.

[duckman]

Couple of more things.

Be wary of items that have attracted a number of bids from people who have little or zero feedback ratings and have only joined eBay in the previous month. These are often what's known as "shill bidders" and the practice is contrary to eBay rules, but don't expect eBay to act unless the practice is very blatant.

[echnidna]

I do what Sir Stinky says plus.
I don't deal with anyone with any less than about 30 transaction.
I dont buy if the satisfaction score is less than 95% after taking into account the feedback on them. Read all the comments as some people do whinge for the sake of whinging.

[ozwinner]

I got ripped years ago on Ebay.
I bought off a ( insert boomy echo voice here ) Power Seller........
I was at the time buying gold coins as an investment.
I bought $700 of coins from a Melbourne seller, 30 Kms down the road from me.

Waited, waited, 2 MONTHS, no coins.
I asked the seller what gives, told me he will investigate Via Auspost.
1 more week, nothing.
I had paid by Master Card.
Rang the bank and they cancelled the tranaction.
Seller complained to ebay about non paying bidder.
I complained to Ebay and got banned.

I looked on the Perth Mint site for the coins, as they were coming from there.
They hadnt even started to mint them as yet.:mad:

They banned me??:eek:

Have fun.

Al :)

[E. maculata]

All of the above is great advice, especially not bidding too early as many others will then check out your "bargain", communication is an essentail, if it's something big$$$ I will find "reasons" to email the seller and get a feel for them from the replies, like email addy, personal greetings salutaions and signed by etc, maybe even phone numbers at times
I have in the past, by following the above rules
Bought a brand (superceeded 2 weeks before he got caught with 10 of them) new off dealer $2000 JVC digital video cam for $738 with Aussie warantee, H Norman were still selling them 4 months later for a greatly "reduced" $1699

Job lot#65 plane #220 + # 110 <$50 (Shh none of these buggas here even saw them, listed in wrong category)

heaps more stuff than this over 150 things between me & rest of family

and my latest was $800 racing BMX bike ridden twice (yep checked out & picked up by a mate of mine who is heavily involved in BMX) in perfect nick for $350 on thursday evening.

Never been ripped, have been misleda few times, but always had satisfactory outcomes even on those minor issues, + the federal police now have a dedicated E-fraud squad up & running.

[echnidna]

...... + the federal police now have a dedicated E-fraud squad up & running.

There you are Al, don't bother with complaints to Ebay in future :)

[ozwinner]

Dont ya just love the way the internet keeps crap hanging around for so long????
http://feedback.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=ozwinner&item=-1&frm=2624

Al :D

[E. maculata]

Al how come they wiped u? did u threaten bodily damage in an email(I probably would've) cause I've seen much worse still registered & the seller themselves had been "NARUED" since.

[ozwinner]

Al how come they wiped u? did u threaten bodily damage in an email(I probably would've) cause I've seen much worse still registered & the seller themselves had been "NARUED" since.

Nah never threatened anyone, all I did was whinge?
I did notice when I returned just then to get the link, that the Power Seller is no longer registered too.

Owhh yeah, just had another thought, I told Ebay to gof()ckthemselves.
Maybe that was it?

Al :confused:

[E. maculata]

Probably not in your nature too ;) but you could've petitioned them for a reason and a second chance, especially since the 3 negs all were from tthe same w#nka, and generally that is only counted once in your tally.
The wife does really well from it & in your line of business I thought it would be an indespensable outlet & maybe even source of goods.

[ozwinner]

Im still registered with Eeeeebay, but under a different name.

I even registered once under George Costansa, just shows you how easy it is for anyone to register under a bodgy, then get your money.

Al :(

[Groggy]

I even registered once under George Costansa..Not that there's anything wrong with that....:)

[E. maculata]

Aha I'll keep an eye out for ya :p .
Having smugly stated all that, watch me get burnt now :rolleyes:

[fxst]

<Owhh yeah, just had another thought, I told Ebay to gof()ckthemselves.
Maybe that was it?>

Yep Oz that'll do it .......no sense of humour that mob
Pete

[JDarvall]

Thanks to everyone for that.

Just the stuff I was after. last minute bidding, sniping etc. Much appreciate it. :)

What I don't fully understand is.....how do you find out how much things are worth ? ,,, so that you can work out what your maximum bid will be.

cause, I always relied on what similar items have gone for before on E-bay. But that may not be as indicative of it value as it may seem, right ? cause, people are always paying too much or too little, right ?

similar problem when selling. I don't know how much to set a reserve......eg......I have an old blacksmith leg vice that I've been thinking about selling.
A big one. 6" wide jaws. Good condition.
I noticed on E-bay, that in the US a similar, albiet badly rusty one, had a bid of about $200US on it.
But, as you guys have shown me, your bidding at the last second, so the thing could have gone for a lot more,,,,,,,??? ,,,,,,so I guess I can't use this as a guide for setting a reserve. Is there a way of getting e-bay to tell you what something eventually sold for ?

This is whats holding me back,,,being ripped off. And if I don't know what somethings worth in the first place. well.

So, is there some reliable site out there, that can tell you what things are worth ? .....some expert on say,,,,,tools,,,,that is willing to give an accurate value.

Thankyou again.

[Ivan in Oz]

Apri,
Put it as one of the items you are watching and DO NOT bid.
When the auction is over,
it will appear in the "Ended" section of the Items you are watching.
I do that for a few to see what the prices go for.
I also watch thew prices at Flea Mkts, 2nd hand stores GARAGE SALES
but I WILL NOT USUALLY GO that far OUT OF MY WAY to check 'em out.
I also do http://www.tender.net.au/index.php and put a bid of $1.oo for things I'm wanting a price on.
They will supply you with a list of winners and the final price.

Looking at a Fridge/Freezer and another Washing Machine atm,
so everyone else Buzz orf ;)

[duckman]

What I don't fully understand is.....how do you find out how much things are worth ? ,,, so that you can work out what your maximum bid will be.

similar problem when selling. I don't know how much to set a reserve......eg......I have an old blacksmith leg vice that I've been thinking about selling.


1) For second hand items, look at what similar items have sold for on eBay. If the item isn't too old and can be purchased new, then check the current street price. Don't forget to add postage charges to eBay prices, although having said that, if you have to travel some distance to a retail shop, then the cost of petrol might need to be added to the street price so as to compare apples with apples, if you catch my drift.


2) Are you sure its still possible to set a Reserve Price? There was some talk either early this year or late last year about stopping that practice, but only for items listed by Australian sellers.

From eBay announcements:

***Update: Reserves have been removed!***

10 August 2004 | 10:30AM EST


We have now removed the ability to use Reserves for all categories except Cars, Boats, Other Vehicles and Motorcycles on eBay.com.au.

If you have any questions regarding this change, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Happy trading!

Regards,
The eBay Team

Link to this announcement | Back to top


HTH,

Mark.

[Barry_White]

Just this morning I received a spoof e-mail asking me to confirm my details to a web site. I forwarded it to [email protected] and they confirmed that it was a spoof.

My advise is to read the section about spoof e-mails so you don't get caught.

[JDarvall]

Thanks fella's

sound advice

[FlyingDuck]

Have a go using eSnipe (do a search for it). It is a web site that bids for you about 4 seconds before the end of an auction. You enter the auction number and your bid before hand, and eSnipe does the rest. Works because you don't have to sit there on your computer and do the last minute bidding like often happens. Just tell esnipe before hand your bid, and forget about it. Also, you don't have to bid early, which often brings up the price of an often. Your bid can hide there until the last minute. You could do this yourself, but they have a superfast connection and are time synced to ebay, so it works well.

You get a 14 day free trial, and then you pay a certain percentage for using it after, but I have never used it beyond the 14 days.

There are more explanations on their web site, so all I can say is that it is great if you intend to do some bidding.

[Schtoo]

Aplicot, the vise.

Mine is a Wilkinson Sword (yeah, that one, surprised the heck out me too), maybe 4 inch, perfect condition and it was $60 at my ex-local flea market. I'll have to dig it out next time I am at home, and see if I can bring it here. :)

Actually, Mr. White up there has a point.

Real Ebay and Paypal messages (when they are asking or telling something) include your username and are really plain looking. Just like a normal email.

The fakes try to look like a webpage in your email.

They never ask for details, so anything that does either delete it or send it to them to deal with. Even if it looks real, don't click any of it.

;)

[JDarvall]

Like to see that vise Schoo,

and must watch out for 'spoofs'.....ok, there's a new word. So, Spoof's are the bad guys. Where do these names come from anyway ? :D

[schaf]

Interesting thread.My wife are starting to take a interest in ebay but are worried about using a credit card.
What method do most people use to pay on ebay
Regards Terry

[Iain]

I sold my 25 year old Triton for $266, a mo name table saw for $212 and a bath for $130, bought 7 Titan chisels for $12.50, all as described and in fair condition, even better now with a decent edge on them.
I've got an office/drfating desk on at the moment, starting bid $10.00, no bites and if it doesn't go I'll use it as a workbench




View item description:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4407648221&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ:AU:1


If anyones interested...

[E. maculata]

What method do most people use to pay on ebay


g'day Terry,
Most sellers In Aust take deposit straight into their bank a/c either over the counter or if you are set up to do it online from home, + you have all the old fashioned ways like bank cheques, postal orders, COD(costs you extra though) so there are a few options rather than using a C/card online.

[Barry_White]

Interesting thread.My wife are starting to take a interest in ebay but are worried about using a credit card.
What method do most people use to pay on ebay
Regards Terry

I consider the best way is to open a PayPal account. With PayPal you don't have to enter a credit card no every time you use it and you can pay people with it as well as receive money and it is actually owned by Ebay.

Interesting thing is that Ebay has just purchased Skype the Voice Over Internet Protocol Company.

[Redgy]

I used paypal to buy some books from the states & it works well. The poor bugga over there got ripped by me though, he didn't want to send to Aus but I talked him into it so he got a price off the USPS website for $70USD postage After I won the bid & the deal was done, he went to actually post the package it cost him about $125USD. He was p'd off but at himself not me & never asked me to pay any extra. I've only had one bad deal & that was from a business (power seller over 2000 deals) in australia buying some tools...never again with them.

Reg

[echnidna]

Interesting thread.My wife are starting to take a interest in ebay but are worried about using a credit card.
What method do most people use to pay on ebay
Regards Terry

I use a VISA debit card attached to an account with limited funds.
I registered with paypal and use that for international stuff & sometimes oz stuff.
Most oz stuff I do by direct debit. I used to go to a local branch of the vendors bank as it minbimises charges.

Coz I live in the sticks most of the local bank branches are 40 odd km away so I have started to direct debit online.

[Sir Stinkalot]

What I don't fully understand is.....how do you find out how much things are worth ? ,,, so that you can work out what your maximum bid will be.

Your maximium bid is the maximum that you are willing to pay for an item .... after all it is your maximum bid.

When I place a bid I never look at the value of the item .... I think if I was to buy that what would I consider a bargin or good value. Sometimes you miss it othertimes its yours.