How to be streetwise on E-bay.

[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 .
Having smugly stated all that, watch me get burnt now

[fxst]

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 ?

[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....DME: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.