how do you decide who to buy from?

sdkitty

sdkitty

O.G.
Jan 16, 2006
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#1
will you buy from small sellers without a lot of FB? or do you try to stick to pros with a lot of FB?
I've had a couple of bad experiences buying used bags from less experienced small sellers.

I'm watching four bags right now
The one that looks best on paper - from description and pics - is from a small seller with no FB on selling bags. Her price is too high IMO (based on comps). Maybe partly due to inexperience. It's BIN or make offer.

A pro consignment seller has the same bag for a lower price. They have 80 positive FBs and a return policy. But condition description sounds like it got used more than the small seller's bag. It's BIN


Style 2
private party has for good price - only a few FB's but excellent on high end bags. She says bag is excellent

pro seller has this bag NWOT for higher price (30% more). They have lots of positive FB

Do you rely more on pics and communication or on their history?
 
#2
I only buy from people with FB scores of 98% and higher and who have a lot of feedback, like 80 or more.
You can also check how long someone has been a member, it can give you more confidence if they have been around for a while.
 
#4
I would be more interested in condition as a buyer. I have to say, in this day and age, I pay little attention to feedback (unless it's a really low %) as it is worthless (especially with how ebay protects buyers these days) and most people don't bother with it anymore. 15 years ago it was rare to not get feedback and now it's the other way round.
 
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#5
sdkitty said:
Style 2
private party has for good price - only a few FB's but excellent on high end bags. She says bag is excellent

pro seller has this bag NWOT for higher price (30% more). They have lots of positive FB

Do you rely more on pics and communication or on their history?
Click to expand...

This is my favourite type of seller. Appears to be selling from her own collection and has positive feedback for comparables. Unfortunately you don't see to many of these on eBay any more. The good ones get snapped up by the pro sellers and get resisted at 30% more.
 
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#6
vernis-lover said:
I would be more interested in condition as a buyer. I have to say, in this day and age, I pay little attention to feedback (unless it's a really low %) as it is worthless (especially with how ebay protects buyers these days) and most people don't bother with it anymore. 15 years ago it was rare to not get feedback and now it's the other way round.
Click to expand...
unfortunately some people lie about condition. I've only bought a few bags on ebay. Two were preowned. Both had flaws. The first one had a stain on the front. She said the shipper must have damaged it. Second one had handles with lots of cracks on edgecoat. She said that was the design. I'm sure there are lots of sellers who tell the truth and try to disclose every flaw but there's always a risk.
 
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#7
sdkitty said:
unfortunately some people lie about condition. I've only bought a few bags on ebay. Two were preowned. Both had flaws. The first one had a stain on the front. She said the shipper must have damaged it. Second one had handles with lots of cracks on edgecoat. She said that was the design. I'm sure there are lots of sellers who tell the truth and try to disclose every flaw but there's always a risk.
Click to expand...
There's also the issue of what one person thinks is good condition someone else will think is trashed and vice-versa. I think that risk is inherent no matter how professional you are - you only have to look at all the complaints about the inaccurate descriptions from Fashionphile to see that. It's just a case of asking questions and requesting more pictures if required. Buyer beware, as they say.
 
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#8
vernis-lover said:
There's also the issue of what one person thinks is good condition someone else will think is trashed and vice-versa. I think that risk is inherent no matter how professional you are - you only have to look at all the complaints about the inaccurate descriptions from Fashionphile to see that. It's just a case of asking questions and requesting more pictures if required. Buyer beware, as they say.
Click to expand...
yes, I agree....that person with the cracked handles may have believed they were supposed to be that way for example. I have gotten some beautiful preloved bags but in the case of ebay the only ones I got that were excellent were brand new
 
#9
sdkitty said:
yes, I agree....that person with the cracked handles may have believed they were supposed to be that way for example. I have gotten some beautiful preloved bags but in the case of ebay the only ones I got that were excellent were brand new
Click to expand...
That's unfortunate and I'm sorry to hear that. I can imagine it would make you more cautious.
 
#11
I search for the items I'm looking for and then go through the pictures meticulously. I usually use my cell so I can really zoom in and blow up the pictures. If the pictures look good, then I read the seller's description. Often the pictures and description don't match, like the pics are great, buy description says fair.

Once I decide I like the item, then I look at the seller. If it's a seller in Japan with good feedback, I usually buy, never had a problem with items from Japan (but I check the seller's notes about smell, like mothballs). US sellers are ok as long as they have some good feedback for selling. I also check their other auctions and completed auctions to see if they have a history selling the brand. Check their buying history too to see if they just bought the item cheap and are flipping it. Also search completed auctions and see how many times they've tried to sell it. I have bought a few times from the UK and Australia. I pass on Canada usually due to import taxes and high shipping.

A seller doesn't have to have a lot of feedback for selling for me to buy from them, but if they don't have some brand knowledge I pass.
 
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#13
northerndancer said:
Where are you located that you pay higher import taxes on items shipped from Canada than from other places?
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I'm in the US. I've never paid import taxes on anything from overseas, execpt one time a Japanese seller sent something DHL and I had to pay. All the EMS stuff and Royal mail stuff I didn't pay tax on. But I've paid a couple of times I think for things from Canada. It was the shipping method.
 
#14
If they have any feedback that something they sold was fake I move on. If the pictures are scarce I will ask for more. If they don’t provide the pics I asked for or they don’t respond I move on. I also will move on if they have no feedback as a seller. I also will not buy out of country because:
a) I don’t want to have to pay any import duties and
b) if the item is fake or not as described it’s too much of a hassle to return.

If they are in the US and I’m good with the condition/pictures and price I then consider feedback and communication.


Ideally the best seller for me is not a pro seller, has several years history on EBay (not necessarily a ton of feedback - just that they’ve been around awhile & didn’t just join eBay this month), has sold several higher end items with positive feedback, has several great pictures and communicates in a timely manner.

I know this may sound a little stringent to some but it’s just the way I buy off eBay.
 
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#15
caannie said:
I'm in the US. I've never paid import taxes on anything from overseas, execpt one time a Japanese seller sent something DHL and I had to pay. All the EMS stuff and Royal mail stuff I didn't pay tax on. But I've paid a couple of times I think for things from Canada. It was the shipping method.
Click to expand...

That would explain it. I always ship using the postal system (Canadapost/USPS) and there never has been any issue with import duties on the receiving end. Even on items well above the customs threshold.
 
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