Terrified Of Ebay

boofy_2

Have never started on the ebay road, it looked too complex and I didn't know where to start. Seems I'm glad now I didn't after reading all the horror stories. A relative of mine sells regularly so I thought I'd give it a go, but with all the pitfalls think I'll stick to the 'small ads' in the newsagents!!

danmanchester

Despite all the negative postings about ebay on here and elsewhere..it really is still a great place to hunt for bargains and sell! Yes there are scam artists loitering on ebay - both selling and "buying", but there are scam artists everywhere really.
I've completed over 150+ transactions on ebay as a buyer and seller and only had 1 problem - and I got a refund from the "dodgy" seller! Maybe I've been lucky but I won't stop using ebay..if anything these stories/warnings have just made me wiser and more aware of the pitfalls. Try not to be put off..unless your newsagents window has millions of passing potential customers!:p

soolin

boofy wrote:

Have never started on the ebay road, it looked too complex and I didn't know where to start. Seems I'm glad now I didn't after reading all the horror stories. A relative of mine sells regularly so I thought I'd give it a go, but with all the pitfalls think I'll stick to the 'small ads' in the newsagents!!

Boofy, all the scams on ebay were started when people used small ads to buy and sell. Dodgy cheques? do a google search and see how many people get conned selling their cars to people who pay by a safe 'bankers draft' that bounces. Dodgy items? seen any cheap JVC camcorders recently in the small ads where the bloke will come to your house and take cash for a knock down price.

If you take all sensible precautions on ebay you will be fine. I suppose I have made about 3000+ transactions, not lost any money yet (except on a small bounced cheque) nor have I had any real problems that I could not resolve.

However, if buying and selling generally makes you nervous then ebay is probably not for you, there is no point in doing something that will only give you sleepless nights.

Personally I love ebay as it allows me to make a little extra money which is sorely needed.

Soo

bleugh

start up on ebay, go on,
as long as you use your noggin a bit, its a great way of getting some extra cash in for yourself

be VERY weary of non standard payment methods (paypal, western union, etc), and never post anything you sell till you can physically access that cash payment.

good luck

Hintza

bleugh wrote:

....be VERY weary of non standard payment methods (paypal, western union, etc)....

If you do not accept PayPal the prices you receive will be less and this is the standard way to pay on EBay (even with its faults)

Western Union is OK as well; as long as you have the cash in hand before sending item out.

As bleugh and all the others have said, just keep your wits about you and you will be OK. Remember what you see on here ar the monority of cases.

I have sold over 2,000 items (small value <£10) since January and have a relatively high problem rate of about 2.5% or 50 cases and they are usually for non payment so its just an irritation more than anything.

Higher value items attract the scammers and mobile phones etc.

But if you are selling bits and bobs you are accessing a potentially huge market of millions versus the readership of your small ads. No competition in my view and thge added advantage of not having folk turning up on your doorstep at all times of day and night.

daveboy

eBay can be good for lower value items, but my personal opinion is that it is best to keep away from it if you want something of value. A common thing that is said about eBay and PayPal is that if you have a problem, they just aren't interested.

You can find many good people on the community boards so it might be worth having a look on there before you start selling/buying.