How does ebay work?

Suckbird · #1 12-23-2004, 08:44 AM

Okay, so i have never bought anything from ebay but im going to buy my next bass from there and i wonder, if somebody is listing a bass he expects to get about 1000$ and make a starter bid of 100$ and it ends at 300$, does he have a choice if he wants to sell it or not? I wouldn't believe that somebody would sell a 1500$ bass for 400$.

**peabody** · #2 12-23-2004, 09:14 AM

Ah, the wonderful world of eBay. Believe it or not, it is possible to get a $1500 bass for $400...unlikely, but possible. Many of the sellers will have their auctions with a reserve price, which means if the bids don't reach the reserve price, the auction is over and the seller is not obligated to sell it to you. Some sellers may end their auction early if they feel the bids aren't high enough...even though most auctions have the flurry of bidding right at the end. Sooo...if for some reason there is no reserve price and the seller doesn't end the auction early, the seller would be "obligated" to sell the item to you if you are the high bidder. If for some reason you are the legal high bidder and the seller refuses to sell it to you, you'd have to look at the "rules" of eBay to find out what recourse you have. My only advice....be careful. While there are deals to be had, I have found if it seems too good to be true...it usually is. Personally I have had very good luck with my eBay purchases, but I also know there are a lot of horror stories out there. Good luck!!

mcdeath · #3 12-23-2004, 09:55 AM

Hmmm.

That's why you set a *Reserve* price. Normally this reserve price is hidden from the buyers but it represents the minimum amount the seller is willing to accept for the item.

**embellisher** · #4 12-23-2004, 10:12 AM

Not bass related. Off to Miscellaneous.

nashvillebill · #5 12-23-2004, 10:24 AM

If you've never, ever used Ebay, I sure wouldn't start by buying a bass!!! We're talking a fair amount of cash, and in this particular category (Musical Instruments) there are many unscrupulous sellers, almost everything is becoming overpriced, and the process can wind up costing more than you expect. Particularly, you can get socked with shipping and handling charges. Not to mention that there's no guarantee the item is in the condition that it's represented to be in....Unscrupulous sellers are very good at writing descriptions and taking pictures that don't tell everything about an item.

I've made maybe a couple of dozen purchases through ebay without any significant problems, but it's really easy to get burned on high-dollar items.

Sorry to discourage you, but for a first-timer....

Suckbird · #6 12-23-2004, 11:28 AM

The thing that scares me most is if i would get the bass, and it's a cheapo fender copy or a a real screwed up bass.
I dont think it would be a smart idea to buy strings because i live in sweden and the shipping costs would be twice the price of the strings.
Or maybe i should just limit myself to the swedish used market..

**IvanMike** · #7 12-23-2004, 12:08 PM

i would not reccomend buying a bass off of e-bay unless you're really confident. As well as your used market, there are a ton of guys and gals on talkbass that sell used gear in the classifieds. there is a feedback forum here as well so you can check out what kind of experiences people have had with them. And, if you find soemthing you are interested in, you can ask the people around here what they think of that particular bass.

happy hunting!!

Bruce Lindfield · #8 12-24-2004, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suckbird

The thing that scares me most is if i would get the bass, and it's a cheapo fender copy or a a real screwed up bass.

Yup - that's the big downside of eBay and the advantage of buying from a reputable shop - I'd never buy a bass without trying it extensively first!

Quote:

I dont think it would be a smart idea to buy strings because i live in sweden and the shipping costs would be twice the price of the strings.
.

Conversely, I've bought strings off the internet loads of times - no problem - what can be wrong with strings? A sealed packet?

Even allowing for shipping costs from the USA to Europe, all the strings I've bought off the internet, have been less than half the price of the same thing in the UK!!

**Kelly Lee** · #9 12-24-2004, 03:35 AM

If you watch what your doing, research the item, and ask lots of questions of the seller you can get some good deals on Ebay. I have bought alot of used gear off Ebay without one problem. Ya just gotta be careful!