eBay Buying Tricks discussion

gobuddygo

localbargainfinder returns too many results for me I set it to list Private sellers only, easier to handle.

BuckSavers

Try bidvista.com

thebarber

On the original page about ebay tips it says that beware of fake good but ebay try to catch them and will remove if informed.
This simply is not the case

I used to own a northface mcmurdo jacket and know all the ways that the fakes differ the most obvious being the fur trim
i was looking to buy another and came across a jacket that had pretty much everything wrong that could be.

I spent an hour via email online and phone chat to 6 different people to try and get it removed i clearly explained why it was fake i said they could look up fake nf themselves and see all the issues with it.
anyway i kept trying right up until it sold for £150 to some poor unsuspecting person. this proved to me 100% that ebay really dont care if people sell fakes they only care if the buyer complains. needless to say i now only buy from online stores instead. buyers beware

mrcol1000

thebarber wrote: »

On the original page about ebay tips it says that beware of fake good but ebay try to catch them and will remove if informed.
This simply is not the case

I used to own a northface mcmurdo jacket and know all the ways that the fakes differ the most obvious being the fur trim
i was looking to buy another and came across a jacket that had pretty much everything wrong that could be.

I spent an hour via email online and phone chat to 6 different people to try and get it removed i clearly explained why it was fake i said they could look up fake nf themselves and see all the issues with it.
anyway i kept trying right up until it sold for £150 to some poor unsuspecting person. this proved to me 100% that ebay really dont care if people sell fakes they only care if the buyer complains. needless to say i now only buy from online stores instead. buyers beware

The problem is that there are too many people on Ebay who think they are experts. You can understand why Ebay does not take accusations about fakes unless it comes from the actual company. I once sold a handbag for a friend which they brought in Selfridges. I then had a case opened by the buyer as they said it was fake because it was different to the ones they sold on QVC

ballisticbrian

Add to that - competitors would love to be able to phone up eBay and say that all their competitors products are fake. And then there are those "scam the scammers" types who hope you're selling a fake so they can try to get to keep it free.

pol098

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

(from an old posting)... only purchases costing over £15 get duty charged on them when entering the UK, click here for very useful import duty + tax calculator

The calculator is both unnecessary and misleading (it excludes the carrier's charge for customs clearance). The actual amounts will change occasionally by law as currencies fluctuate, but in the UK any purchase costing over £15 is subject to VAT; also gifts above £36. Duty is not usually charged on low-value things, and is usually much less than VAT. The killer is that the carrier (e.g. Royal Mail) make a charge for customs clearance, only if the import is chargeable. The charge is £8 (you get a letter, and can pay online), plus a storage charge beyond 10 working day. So if you buy something for £14.99 it will be delivered to your door; if for £15.01 you will get a letter and have to pay an extra £11.00. For large imports maybe the calculator is useful, but I'd rather ask the customs people.

To work out what you have to pay: if over £15, 20% of value of item including posting and insurance, plus £8. Different for tobacco, alcohol, perfume, etc.

I don't know how strictly the £15 limit is enforced (maybe somebody does?), but I wouldn't take chances. Somebody sent a baby gift of several books (no VAT) and a simple jumper, and declared the value as $84 (to show off the expensive gift?). It came with a customs bill for about £16. (It can be claimed back in a ridiculous case like this.)

pol098

Stavros_one wrote: »

Beware of buying [razor] blades.

Lots of things are fake, even low-value ones. I got caught with "Panasonic" branded CR2032 lithium button cell batteries. Lasted 3 months in medical equipment where I expect upwards of two years. Also Rayban (and other) sunglasses, head- and earphones, and probably just about anything else. Viagra and the like are notorious, of course.

When buying batteries, in particular, I avoid Internet sellers if possible, but would always choose an "off-brand" not heavily advertised but that I know to be good, as less likely to be faked.

theonlywayisup

pol098 you do realise this thread started in 2012.

pol098

theonlywayisup wrote: »

pol098 you do realise this thread started in 2012.

Thanks, I had realised, but often post to old threads in forums and often have responses, in these days of search engines. I usually prefix with "I know this is old but for those who come via a search...". In this case I simply followed a link on the MSE "40 eBay buying tips", and thought the thread, though old, was the only one.

If this thread is not current, what is the thread where eBay topics are now discussed, please? I do want to ask a question that will be seen. Thanks

theonlywayisup

pol098 wrote: »

Thanks, I had realised, but often post to old threads in forums and often have responses, in these days of search engines. I usually prefix with "I know this is old but for those who come via a search...". In this case I simply followed a link on the MSE "40 eBay buying tips", and thought the thread, though old, was the only one.

If this thread is not current, what is the thread where eBay topics are now discussed, please? I do want to ask a question that will be seen. Thanks

The board you are on is the Ebay board and has the most uptodate info/queries/threads. If you want to ask a specific question it is usually best to start a new thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40