Why do people even bother to use EBAY?

G

gillianna

O.G.
Dec 27, 2005
8,288
2,182
#1
It seem like thru PF I have read horror stories over and over about Ebay and yet so many PF users are still getting scammed.
I don't understand why anyone would want to use them. Ebay offers no protection--they own paypal and can do what they want. I just think Ebay is such a joke. I used to use Ebay years ago but now it seems like it is just one scam after another and the scammers have gotten smarter.
 
#2
As a buyer: Even with the horror stories, there are thousands and thousands that have pleasant transactions that aren't written about on message boards. There are incredibly wonderful sellers I'd rather deal with than retail. I've had many purchases of items on ebay that I wouldn't have obtained any other way. As a matter of fact, Paypal/Ebay did protect me on one bogus auction, but I still had a backup that protected me if they hadn't. There are precautionary measures that can be taken on 99 percent of auctions and if there's any chance to be taken AT ALL, I don't bid on it. Simple as that for me.
 
#4
Yes, eBay isn't all bad. You just need to exercise some extreme caution and a full helping of common sense to navigate through the waste. I've definitely gotten some once-in-a-lifetime items on eBay, that I wouldn't be able to find otherwise. The folks on here are also so good at confirming good sellers and good auctions (and keeping us away from bad sellers and bad auctions) that it doesn't totally overwhelm me anymore.
 
#5
I fully agree with surfer. A great majority of my transactions on eBay have been more than perfect. I also get a little choked up thinking about how eBay links so many people around the world through simple commerce. I've bought so many things on eBay that I couldn't find anywhere else, and paid much less for the priviledge. You encounter such sweet people sometimes, and they show their personality in the care they put in wrapping and packaging your items. If you think about it, given how the transactions are remote, faceless and to a large extent anonymous, it's amazing how well eBay actually works.

You do have to be cautious and diligent, but there are many, many honest people on eBay, and luckily a great majoriy of the dishonest ones are transparently so. It's the really good slick dishonest scammers that slip through the crack. But neither do I understand why anyone picks up the phone at home to be scammed by the unscrupulous variety of telemarketers, and yet it happens every day.
 
#6
:shrugs: I've been a member since 1999 and have only had two bad transactions. Once was a few years ago when I won an auction for $9 and the item was never sent, and another just a few months ago when I bought a bag that smelled like smoke and didn't mention it in the auction. ebay is still a great place for me to find deals, I just bought something there last night! :biggrin:
 
#7
I've never attempted it myself, but I know lots of people who have used it successfully.

It really boils down to human nature - if you have a good experience with something, then that's all fine and dandy. But if you have a bad experience you are probably going to tell 10 friends and post your rant somewhere such as tPF!

We (all humankind) are just more prone to commenting about negative experiences than positive ones. I'm being very generalistic I know.. :flowers:
 
#8
I agree. Ebay has allowed access to brands I would otherwise not have either known about, been able to browse conveniently or wanted to pay retail for.

Although I've slowed down considerably this year in my buying I did just receive (yesterday) an amazing new item that retails for $2900 plus tax that I paid a whopping $405 with shipping. :yahoo: I wore it today and felt like a princess or the modern day empowered feme version. It's amazing.

I simply don't have the time or opportunity to find things like this on sale at retail. For me there is no offline equivalent for accessibility, browsability, comfort and control. Not to mention no need for a babysitter!

I'm so glad I have the option to hunt for treasures on ebay in my pajamas! The sum total of human innovation has led to this perfect hub of materialism and I celebrate it for what it is. :supacool:
 
#9
My dh & I have had around 2,000 transactions and only 1 problem in the 6+ years we've been using it.

I'm able to find awesome vintage Hermes items that I would never normally have access to, as well as sell my own clothing to raise money for new purchases.
 
#10
Oh...I almost forgot, I did have a semi-bad experience like 5-6 years ago as a seller. Some guy was taking forever to pay me so when I realized where he worked (a school of pharmacy), I told him that one of my friends is a student there and what a small world it was, so HE could just find him and get the money for me. OK, even though my friend was actually a "she", she hadn't went there but IS a pharmacist, so it wasn't a total lie. LOL...at least my money came ASAP after that. Even if I hadn't, who cares. I've saved thousands on some priceless items so a 100.00 pair of Snowboard boots wouldn't have turned me off of ebay.
 
#11
I have had pretty good transactions on ebay....but I know now to NEVER sell to people from foreign countries (unless they are from PF of course) :smile:.....because I almost lost one of my Balenciagas I had for sale.

The "buyer" from Singapore or some other Asian country paid me with PayPal, and I had planned to ship it out that day, but I couldn't because I had class or something. It was weird becuase they would e-mail me from some weird address and say they needed it shipped ASAP because it was for their "client"...it was really sketchy and didn't make any sense at all. I e-mailed them back being very cautious and tried to get to the bottom of what they were trying to do.

Little did I know- a few hours later PayPal put a hold on my funds that this buyer had given me and said that the card they paid with was possibly a stolen card!! Thank GOD I didn't ship the bag out that day!! I would have lost it forever! If I told them to send it back or whatever, they probly would have sent the wrong one!! RAR I WAS SO MAD.

The "buyer" kept e-mailing me and tried to get me to send the bag but I was like NO...and I sent them a copy of the PayPal note. Once I sent that, I never heard from them again.

It was a scary thing, but thank God they didn't get away with it.
 
#12
The chances are still in your favor that the transaction will be smooth. Besides, there is basically a one word answer as to why people use ebay: EXPOSURE!! - no competiton there.
 
#13
i've been using ebay for years... and i've come across a couple of bad transactions, but i guess i've been lucky to deal with sellers that are quite nice. i unknowingly bought a pair of fake sevens 3 years ago, and the seller claimed she didn't realize it.... i got my refund once i returned the jeans with no hassle whatsoever.

but otherwise, i've had over 70+ transactions within the last 5 years.
 
#14
I just started using Ebay. I just sold my TMobile Sidekick II!! Although I was a little paranoid at first, everything worked out. The buyer was a very nice guy. You just have to keep your eyes open for morons. It's always nice to see your PayPal account go up =)
 
#15
As long as you know what you are looking for, do some research on the seller, or buyer, and use your sources, Ebay is not a bad place. I have been using Ebay for years and as a seller and a buyer, I've only had 2 problems ever, and they were from buyers, not sellers. You can find some great hard to find items and some great deals.
 
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