A money-sucking, time-vacuuming thing...

[Feisty Mouse]

...is eBay.

I resisted for years. I recently signed up. What the heck am I doing? Bidding is competitive. I want to win.

I have to walk away from it.

Anyone else given up online auctions?

 

[jfarnsworth]

We all want to win.

Given up on?
No not really. When I have the money I purchase stuff I need off of e-bay. I purchased a good hard drive off of e-bay recently.

 

[Shaolinwind]

...is eBay.

I resisted for years. I recently signed up. What the heck am I doing? Bidding is competitive. I want to win.

I have to walk away from it.

Anyone else given up online auctions?

Ebay has super inflated costs for running the auction and owns paypal which takes another significant chunk from sellers, basically driving up the cost of merchandise or in most cases, shipping and handling fees.

I think that has contributed to the fact that you can't get a good price on ebay anymore. More often than not I just filter out everything but buy it now auctions and if it's a good price then I buy.. I leave bidding for people who have time to be there at the end of the auction.

Ebay/Paypal are super sleazy anyhow, part of me really wants to see them go out of business.

 

[MA-Caver]

Eventually someone will come up with a competitive version of E-bay and thus force those money sucking time vaccuming sums-a-beetches to lower their prices to sign up.
But as Mr. Farnsworth hit it on the head... get what you NEED not the things that make you go "oooh, that looks cool!" :wink1:

 

[michaeledward]

Ebay has super inflated costs for running the auction and owns paypal which takes another significant chunk from sellers, basically driving up the cost of merchandise or in most cases, shipping and handling fees.

I think that has contributed to the fact that you can't get a good price on ebay anymore. More often than not I just filter out everything but buy it now auctions and if it's a good price then I buy.. I leave bidding for people who have time to be there at the end of the auction.

Ebay/Paypal are super sleazy anyhow, part of me really wants to see them go out of business.

I am not certain, but I think 'craig's list' may be a reasonable alternative.

 

[Rich Parsons]

...is eBay.

I resisted for years. I recently signed up. What the heck am I doing? Bidding is competitive. I want to win.

I have to walk away from it.

Anyone else given up online auctions?

Set your maximum price in your head, and when it crosses that walk away.

I did that a few times, and then it became habit. for in a few days or months there will be another item up there.

You win by staying within the rules you set.

i.e. I was bidding for something, and I had not been able to get it for the price I wanted, so I searched and found out what it usually went for, then set that as the max for me. I got it. So you may have to look at your max numbers from time to time.

Also I have had a few times when a person would back out, and then they would come back and offer me at my last bid, which was my max price.

 

[Sarah]

We have Trademe here, for Kiwi's only. Its awesome and some stuff on there is sooooo cheap!

 

[Ceicei]

I use eBay from time to time. The bidding is fun to do, but I only bid on things that are reasonably priced *after* I have already done my research on the internet and catalogs to compare prices and get a feel on actual values. If I can get the same thing for a cheaper price elsewhere, then I will buy it elsewhere. If I can get a "steal" through eBay, then I will. It all depends upon the item and the reputation of the seller. So far, I haven't been disappointed.

- Ceicei

 

[michaeledward]

Another very neat site to visit ...


www.freecycle.org

 

[bignick]

Given up...never started. Even though I'll be getting a degree in computer science in May, I still distrust a lot of the places/sellers/etc

 

[Chronuss]

I love eBay...I have gotten many, many things off eBay. accoutrements and performance parts for my car, Christmas presents, audio/visual equipments, martial arts items, books, animé, lord can you find deals on animé...the list goes on. you just have to know how to win the auctions.

another good site is half.com. for all us college students, this is the place to look for used textbooks because they'll usually be between 20%-50% cheaper than the used price than the college bookstore, usually. sometimes, the prices are only a few dollars off and after you include the shipping, you're saving only a few bucks but waiting almost a week for the book.

 

[KenpoTex]

You can find a lot of good stuff if you look hard enough. I've found some really good deals on knives. I also buy books and dvd's on occasion.

Just remember to check the shipping costs so you don't get nailed, don't exceed what the item is really worth, and make sure the seller has a decent feedback score.

 

[Shaolinwind]

One thing you REALLY gotta be careful about is brand name clothing. I got a Dolce and Gabbana shirt that shipped from Turkey, thinking I was getting a sweet deal by paying 1/3 of the original price. But it's so cheap there's no way it's authentic, and I am out $40.

Then again, there are some people who can get stuff factory direct, and one can get $140 Ben Sherman shirts for $50. You just have to know what you are looking at, and of course check feedback. If they are selling fakes, someone will have given them a negative for it.

You can find a lot of good stuff if you look hard enough. I've found some really good deals on knives. I also buy books and dvd's on occasion.

Just remember to check the shipping costs so you don't get nailed, don't exceed what the item is really worth, and make sure the seller has a decent feedback score.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

...is eBay.

I resisted for years. I recently signed up. What the heck am I doing? Bidding is competitive. I want to win.

I have to walk away from it.

Anyone else given up online auctions?

I only do Amazon.com Used now. Been burned TOO many times in auctions. I like buying used because I got a $24.95 paperback used on Amazon.com for 39 cents. Even with shipping, I saved over twenty dollars. The one time a used Amazon.com vendor burned me, Amazon.com reimbursed me the FULL amount. Yippee! My older sister is very, very good at auctions though. She keeps her kids outfitted with the latest stuff for a fraction of the price we mortals pay.

 

[Kempogeek]

...is eBay.

I resisted for years. I recently signed up. What the heck am I doing? Bidding is competitive. I want to win.

I have to walk away from it.

Anyone else given up online auctions?

Yes, I have. Not because I've been burned on stuff. I pretty much lost the collecting bug. A few years ago I had the urge to build a collection of Beatles memorabilia. So I signed up on eBay and started slow since I was a novice. It didn't become a full blown addiction but sure came close though. I got things from pins to 45rpm records with picture sleeves from the US, Europe and some compact 33 1/3's from Japan, so it said. Even some "I Love Lucy" items as Xmas gifts for my aunt. It was exciting especially in the final minutes of an auction to see if you would win or not. But now my collecting phase has passed and I hardly ever check eBay. If I was able to post pictures, I would love to able to see stuff and make some extra money. Good luck and hope it's a positive experience.......Steve

 

[OUMoose]

I used to eBay quite a bit for antiques (Huyler's Chocolates items for my mother/grandmother). Used a program called eSnipe that would shove in my bit in the last 3 seconds of the auction. Yeah, it's dirty, but I was there to win as well.

Haven't bought anything from there recently as I just don't have the patience to sift through all the junk anymore.

If anyone has some selling tips, though, I was thinking of putting my bike up on eBaymotors to get a "quick" sell.