Collection vs Delivery?-EBAY

MrMiagia

Im currently trying to buy a new iphone and im wondering if its safe to buy them via delivery. Or is collection really the only way to be safe?

RainbowDrops

Personally if I was buying such an expensive item, I would get it from a normal retailer who can provide warranties.
But to answer your question, I'd probs pefer to see the item in my hand before giving away my cash. Still, you can't be sure that it hasn't been stolen / blocked, and if you only discover that when you get home then you've got nothing to try & get a refund.

Crowqueen

Same here. I wouldn't trust anyone on eBay with that sort of money.

Either it's used, and it only has a few weeks' life in it (and you can't get a refund from private sellers if the item is as described when it arrives), or it's new, and it turns out to be a knock-off, or faulty, or a refurb or whatever. eBay simply don't vet their sellers properly and let anyone list anything - which is great for sellers of eclectic stuff which doesn't fit into any specific category on Amazon etc. but not so good when you want things like electronics.

Save your pennies and go to PC World or look for a good deal with a mobile phone provider. Tariffs are pretty good nowadays.

MrMiagia

RainbowDrops wrote: »

Personally if I was buying such an expensive item, I would get it from a normal retailer who can provide warranties.
But to answer your question, I'd probs pefer to see the item in my hand before giving away my cash. Still, you can't be sure that it hasn't been stolen / blocked, and if you only discover that when you get home then you've got nothing to try & get a refund.

im trying to sell it for profit anyway.

buy low sell high

Taadaa

High value items are notoriously risky to buy and sell on eBay. That's not to say that everyone dealing with these items is a scammer, of course.

If you have it delivered, it may not be as described. It might be stolen or blocked, and by the time you receive it the seller will be long gone.

Or you could collect it and it may have a fault that is not necessarily apparent upon a few minutes inspection. If you pay in cash - and most sellers would insist on this for collection - you will have no protection from Paypal or eBay.

To be honest, buying things to sell on from eBay is a risky business. Most of the time, the price it goes for on eBay is the most that someone is willing to pay for that item. It's only if the item is quite hard to get hold of that it might be worthwhile.

Obviously_the_best

Buy for delivery, sell with tracked and signed for (not Recorded) delivery

Crowqueen

Yes. If you are planning to buy cheap and sell high, then you are going to be disappointed (and would need to be business registered and so on).

You could, I suppose, look for a listing with a misspelling, or a poor photograph, or other 'warning' signs, but since eBay is mostly a consumer marketplace, it's not really the best outlet to use as a wholesaler unless you are, say, buying faulty items to refurbish.

Look in the job lot category for a box of books or CDs or DVDs you can sell on individually to retail consumer buyers. That is a better bet than gambling on getting a cheap iPhone.

MrMiagia

Crowqueen wrote: »

Yes. If you are planning to buy cheap and sell high, then you are going to be disappointed (and would need to be business registered and so on).

You could, I suppose, look for a listing with a misspelling, or a poor photograph, or other 'warning' signs, but since eBay is mostly a consumer marketplace, it's not really the best outlet to use as a wholesaler unless you are, say, buying faulty items to refurbish.

Look in the job lot category for a box of books or CDs or DVDs you can sell on individually to retail consumer buyers. That is a better bet than gambling on getting a cheap iPhone.

say i get an iphone 3gs for £60 and sell it for £100, is that not doable?

and if the seller has a good rep why would it be risky?

soolin

MrMiagia wrote: »

say i get an iphone 3gs for £60 and sell it for £100, is that not doable?

Why would you be able to buy a highly sought after item for £40 less than you can sell it for, have you seem a whole glut of cheap iphones that are suitable for reselling? If so, ask yourself why they are not selling for more.

I do buy and resell on ebay, but mainly in a cult/collectable category where I can use better keywords to get my auctions seen by more enthusiasts and where my reputation means people are likely to pay more to buy from me than from other sellers.

I'd look for resale values in less popular categories. Also don't forget you'll need to register for tax and NI as a business as well, although with a business account your margin may be better as people might be more inclined to buy from you knowing they have a right of return.

MrMiagia

soolin wrote: »

Why would you be able to buy a highly sought after item for £40 less than you can sell it for, have you seem a whole glut of cheap iphones that are suitable for reselling? If so, ask yourself why they are not selling for more.

I do buy and resell on ebay, but mainly in a cult/collectable category where I can use better keywords to get my auctions seen by more enthusiasts and where my reputation means people are likely to pay more to buy from me than from other sellers.

I'd look for resale values in less popular categories. Also don't forget you'll need to register for tax and NI as a business as well, although with a business account your margin may be better as people might be more inclined to buy from you knowing they have a right of return.

do you need a business account?

soolin

MrMiagia wrote: »

do you need a business account?

Yes if you are a business, and buying to resell makes you a business.