Is Ebay easy?

Youngspanion · #1 03-09-2005, 02:34 PM

I want to selll something. Should I consider Ebay? I wouldnt even know how to use them or how to ship it. How would I know how much it could fetch? Is there an easy way with out getting screwed? Thankyou.

Whafrodamus · #2 03-09-2005, 04:56 PM

Ebay is as easy as a $5.00 hooker, but it's also as risky. Always be careful and read everything twice.

Sane · #3 03-09-2005, 05:00 PM

Clever simile

Should be ebays new tag line... I could see the cheesy over the top musical commercials now.

timidbassist · #4 03-09-2005, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sane

Clever simile

Should be ebays new tag line... I could see the cheesy over the top musical commercials now.

+10000000000000 Lol i can hardly imagine!

timidbassist · #5 03-09-2005, 05:11 PM

Suppose being i replied to his joke i owe an answer to the question too haha. Ebay is very trustworthy for the most part. They will back you if you get screwed as long as you take note of everything that goes on durring the transaction and what not. Always use Paypal if possible too when selling or buying because you have the chance to get your money back that way if something goes wrong durring a sale or whatever might happen. I wouldnt sell to someone with no feedback though, there are a lot of con artists out there on ebay right now. Mostly dont buy from anyone with no feedback because you WILL no doubt get screwed.
Cheers,
Dave

purfektstranger · #6 03-09-2005, 05:13 PM

Got to do your homework:
Browse Ebay to see what your bass is typically selling for.
Open an Ebay account or ask someone who you can trust to list your bass for you on their account.
When you list the bass, take decent photos to put with your ad and set a minimum bid amount for your bass. Chances are if it is a desirable guitar, you should get what it is worth or near anyhow.

Hope this helps.

rockindoc · #7 03-09-2005, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purfektstranger

Got to do your homework:
Browse Ebay to see what your bass is typically selling for.
Open an Ebay account or ask someone who you can trust to list your bass for you on their account.
When you list the bass, take decent photos to put with your ad and set a minimum bid amount for your bass. Chances are if it is a desirable guitar, you should get what it is worth or near anyhow.

Good advice. Good photos and a detailed, honest description are of utmost importance. Nobody wants to take a chance on a 'one photo, dimly lit, out of focus, bass' described only as "in great condition".

I've bought two and sold two on Ebay with no problem. Feedback WILL influence the bidder; if you're a Zero Feedback Ebay Newbie, bidders may shy away. You could still get what it's worth, though, if you 1) have an opening bid that is near what you're looking for, or 2) set a Reserve Price near what you're looking for.

Ebay fees will eat into your profit. If I were you , I'd first try to sell it here on Talkbass. I've never heard of anybody getting rooked by a fellow TBer.

**iriegnome** · #8 03-09-2005, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Ebay fees will eat into your profit. If I were you , I'd first try to sell it here on Talkbass. I've never heard of anybody getting rooked by a fellow TBer.

Not only E-bay, but PayPal will also take a piece and do not forget that E-bay owns PayPal, so they get 3 pieces of your money by the time it is all said and done. BidPay makes the buyer pay the fees. Good old Money Orders and Cashiers checks work well. Be cautious with Money orders since it can take 10 days to pass your bank and then the bank it was issued on. Try TB for most of your sales first!! Always Be cautious.

Snarf · #9 03-13-2005, 02:57 PM

How much would it cost to ship a typical bass? And how would you actually go about shipping it? Also, is it feasible to only ask for personal checks on ebay? PayPal is evil, so I'd rather not use it. I'd advertise my bass here, but I'm not a supporting member yet.

Lockout · #10 03-13-2005, 03:01 PM

PayPal... evil?

Snarf · #11 03-13-2005, 03:12 PM

**Browser fart.**

Snarf · #12 03-13-2005, 03:13 PM

The few people I've known who use it lost all their money to it, and all they got from PayPal was "Ooh, sorry, but you suck at life. Bye." So I'd like to avoid it. Plus, they take a chunk of money from you anyway.

Schwinn · #13 03-13-2005, 03:38 PM

I avoid ebay if possible. Sell and buy stuff on talkbass instead.

**JayAmel** · #14 03-13-2005, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngspanion

I want to selll something. Should I consider Ebay? I wouldnt even know how to use them or how to ship it. How would I know how much it could fetch? Is there an easy way with out getting screwed? Thankyou.

I believe there are less risky, less expensive and probably as efficient ways to sell it. Maybe you should try the TB classifieds ?

Cheers
Jay

Schwinn · #15 03-13-2005, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwinn

I avoid ebay if possible. Sell and buy stuff on talkbass instead.

youngspanion, let me just clarify the question you asked me in here.

I've been coming to talkbass for a couple of years now. In that time, I've been reading posts from names that have become familiar, and they feel like old friends. Most are people I respect. True, I've never met any of these people in person, but there is a sense of community here regardless. If I want to sell or buy gear, I try to do it here first. Why? Because of trust. I feel I can trust people here (especially Supporting Members who donate to support talkbass). I probably won't deal with someone who just joined, but longtime members are safe. Also, check the feedback forum for reassurance. Ebay is too big and anonymous. Yeah, there are somethings that you can only find on ebay but actually, the classifieds here are pretty active and if you have patience you can have a successful transaction here with less worry, in my opinion.

**HeavyDuty** · #16 03-13-2005, 03:57 PM

Cleaned up and moved to Misc...