Ebay newbie questions

dark^knight

Hi,

I am looking to buy an item from ebay.

I have a few questions:
1, How can you check IF there is a reserve price on the item. I don't want to know WHAT the reserve price is, as I understand that is secret.
2, What is 'BIN' price. I have seen it mentioned on threads on MSE.
3, The item I am looking to buy is a heavy electrical item. The seller has put his number in the item details. Would it be wise to phone up and go and test the item? Also, is it against the rules for him to sell it off line before the auction finishes online?
4, Any other tips on buying on ebay would help as well.

Thanks

dark^knight

Oops, posted this to the wrong section. Could someone move it to the ebay section?

VoucherMan

I'm no expert but

BIN will be Buy It Now - a fixed price rather than bidding in the hope of getting it cheaper. Once someone has made a bid the BIN disappears I think (I've seen auctions that have ended at a higher price than the original BIN price)

Would it be wise to go and check? - If they're okay with this it sound like a good idea just for peace of mind. I expect you'd be covered under DSR but much easier not to buy in the first place.

I've had a few items in my watch list that have disappeared (Listing removed as item is no longer available) so it sound like common practice. don't know if it's within the rules though.



If a mod doesn't move the thread for you I'd suggest re-posting.

dark^knight

Thanks VoucherMan!

smith121

Contact e-bay customer care. They may help you.

Limara

dark^knight wrote: »

Hi,
I am looking to buy an item from ebay.
I have a few questions:
1, How can you check IF there is a reserve price on the item. I don't want to know WHAT the reserve price is, as I understand that is secret. 2, What is 'BIN' price. I have seen it mentioned on threads on MSE.
3, The item I am looking to buy is a heavy electrical item. The seller has put his number in the item details. Would it be wise to phone up and go and test the item? Also, is it against the rules for him to sell it off line before the auction finishes online?
4, Any other tips on buying on ebay would help as well.
Thanks

1 If the item has been listed with a reserve price it will state around the area displaying the current bid reserve price not yet met

2 as already said bin WILL DISAPPEAR as soon as bidding has started but it is getting common practice to list the item stating contact them for a BIN by puting their contact number they are hoping you will contact them direct and they will save a fourtune on e bay fees and by dealing direct you will loose the protection offered by e bay as the tranasction is then nothing to do with them even though the buyer will think it is as you have contacted the seller from a e bay listing.

3 If you can go and test the item you must be near enough to do so yes go and see it and dont worry about the BIN or dealing outside e bay the problems you could get from what I have said in answer 2 are totally different for an item you can go and see and collecting the item yourself. the item will definatly exist and the seller would be very happy to have a BIN offer and remove the e bay sale.and you will be equally happy not risking losing the auction at the last minute.
E bay rules are complex but you agree that you have the item for sale when listed although many sellers dont,there is a lot of dealers that will only order items once its sold on e bay.
There is nothing to stop you from withdrawing the item from sale at any time most people will have advertised their stuff in free papers etc as well and you cant sell the same item twice.

Biggest tip to new comers whatever you are bidding on check for the same item for price even with the same seller I have seen many times several items will all be listed with different prices and also many times a lot of sellers will have the same items running on a auction and a BIN and the auctions have sold for a lot more than the same thing from the same seller on s BIN.
Dealers will normally people will list the BIN for higher than they actually expect the item to sell for so for example I have an item I hope will sell for £60 I have a lot of them I would list several auctions all ending different times and I will put one on a BIN £72 you then see i have it for sale on a BIN for 72 so you think you will get a real bargain if you manage to win it under £70 so if the first one ending is already on the £60 you are more likely to go higher on that still thinking you have got a bargain.
In the case of a seller with multiple items go into thier feedback and see if they have previously sold one the same if so see what they have been selling for, so you might think its worth £60 but you might find they have been selling for far less.
And always search for the item outside e bay just because its on e bay its not always the bargain you think it is and can often be bought online cheaper! especially if its in sale or on offer, a lot of Wii games I have recently looked for have been cheaper new on offer new online than second hand on e bay.

Be careful Always READ the entire item description and make sure you are bidding on what you think you are I have a mate where his son bid the price of buying a x box console for a e mail of cheats that was entirely his fault every one bidding clearly didnt realise what they were bidding on.

Be careful of new sellers and always be very clear where you are buying stuff from its fine to buy from usa hong kong and china and I do so regular BUT be aware if your item is more than £15.00 you will be slapped with duty, up to £15.00 its nothing but a £15.01 to £135 and you will pay import VAT on the item price and handling charges on the price of the item AND THE COST OF THE POSTAGE combined. and over that will also get import duty added which will be a different percentage which depends on the item and country of origon

Hope this helps

dark^knight

Thanks Limara, that really helps.