Ebay furniture

bretts

Hi All

I read in the forum somewhere that buying from ebay could be less cheaper, so I took that advice on board and I am looking for new furniture on Ebay and price difference is quite big, I am just wondering if someone here has bought things from ebay like furniture or shower cubicles and were they ok in terms of quality or should i refrain from them, I am only going to buy from people with good reviews and companies who i can call and talk to in UK, all these points were on here and have taken them on board.

Can someone please advise.

keystone

All very well until things go wrong which, with distnace purchasing, inevitably they will. Make your shopping list, research prices and go and haggle with your local plumbers merchant. You may not get all you want pricewise but at least you have the comfort of knowing you only have to make one phone call if things go the proverbrial upwards.

Cheers

Ben84

keystone wrote: »

All very well until things go wrong which, with distnace purchasing, inevitably they will. Make your shopping list, research prices and go and haggle with your local plumbers merchant. You may not get all you want pricewise but at least you have the comfort of knowing you only have to make one phone call if things go the proverbrial upwards.

Cheers

To be fair, I've had some amazing customer service from eBay sellers and some terrible service from regular shops. And vice versa. Besides, some regular shops are also eBay sellers. It's not always easy to know what you're getting in to with a new company, although eBay feedback has so far been a decent guide. I do however filter to search for neutral/negative feedback and look for people all saying the same things - that's a warning sign. If it's just a random selection of complaints that make up a small fraction of total feedback, I don't worry however.

One major advantage to buying in person is being able to see the items. If it's something really important, I will only buy it in person. of course, you may be able to check out various products in person then search for them online - then you'll know what you're getting.

Leif

I have found the vast majority of ebay sellers to be decent and honest. Some are better than shops, and vice versa, as said earlier. Used furniture is good on ebay, better at local auctions. I think with furniture if it looks okay when it arrives, it is okay, though I suppose stuff made from chipboard and veneer could fall to pieces, not that I'd buy it anyway. You have to be careful who you buy from on ebay. I was sold a used table which was not as described, and I got a refund. Subsequently I visited and viewed the item when I came to buy a replacement. I would not buy new furniture on ebay without seeing it first, as photos can be deceptive. I think I bought a bath on ebay, but they had a real shop too.

Tiddlywinks

It depends...

I have bought lots of second hand furniture - mostly Ducal and Ercol - and have bought it at a fraction of its original cost. Have you considered second hand?

Items were bought from private individuals and dealers.... each time I collected the item so I could see it before I handed over my money.

I'm not sure I would be as confident in buying flat-pack new items from ebay... only because of the hassle it would cause if it turned up damaged or had items missing.

ed110220

I've bought second hand furniture on Ebay without problems, for example I got a very good quality 1950s sideboard for a fraction of the price of from an antique shop or dealer. I would want to go to see the item though and pick it up, so not too far away.

It pays to keep an eye out for things in your local area.

cattie

The new items I have bought from ebay before now have included a shower cubical, along with thermostatic shower, basins & wc. with absolutely no real problems at all. When one of the hand basins was being fitted the plumber found an almost invisible hairline crack & phoned the seller. Seller arranged for replacement to be delivered next day & damaged one collected. All these items were on offer at Screwfix at higher prices

I'm shortly to be having a bathroom refit in my new home & ebay is where I shall try to source the things I shall need once again.

When my kitchen was refitted I got a lot of stuff from ebay, all new, but cheaper than shop prices, such as sink, tap, hob, oven etc. You can get some real bargains if you are careful to stick to well known & respected brands. My kitchen tap retails for £300+ but I got it for £150 inc. p&p

I have had some 2nd hand items too, such as my lovely dining table & chairs which were an incredible £25 & I also bought a fire, which turned out not to be suitable for my fireplace, but which I sold on on ebay for a higher price than I'd paid.

evokit

Most suppliers on ebay cut out the middle man, this has no effect on the quality you are buying. after all why pay £150 from a shop where you can get the same product for £80 delivered..??
I have had furniture from there, sheesham wood and saved £1000's with the same items in furniture village etc.
Ive also renovated 2 houses and sourced most inc tiles, adhesive, to electric sockets saved me so much and no issues with anything.
Most of the main importers on there actually have shops and warehouses and are 'real' businesses and could also supply other shops.