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So, tell me about Ebay...
- Thread starter jfh2424
- Start date
I find the prices here, in general, to be higher than what sellers want on ebay. What the OP wants for his Dynabass is a good example. But I occasionally find and see a few good deals on this site.
I've had great experiences buying and selling on TalkBass, and I expect to have many more.
But, bottom line, eBay has a much larger audience, so there's great potential to reach many more potential buyers.
No, not more people with more bass knowledge or well-formed ideas (some justified, some not) about which instruments & equipment are "good" and which are not.
Just a larger field of potential buyers. Which can be a good thing if what you're selling is quality stuff, but has fallen out of fashion in the bass community.
That's not a criticism in the least. Just an expression of my own experience selling on both TB and eBay. My preference would be to sell at a fair price to a good home - i.e., someone on TB who wants the bass or equipment for their own personal use and enjoyment. But if you're not getting any bites in one pond ...
But, bottom line, eBay has a much larger audience, so there's great potential to reach many more potential buyers.
No, not more people with more bass knowledge or well-formed ideas (some justified, some not) about which instruments & equipment are "good" and which are not.
Just a larger field of potential buyers. Which can be a good thing if what you're selling is quality stuff, but has fallen out of fashion in the bass community.
That's not a criticism in the least. Just an expression of my own experience selling on both TB and eBay. My preference would be to sell at a fair price to a good home - i.e., someone on TB who wants the bass or equipment for their own personal use and enjoyment. But if you're not getting any bites in one pond ...
Not in place now. IF enforced, will apply to merchants whose sales exceed $20grand/year.
eBay used to have a more of a community feeling and be a great place for buying & selling. These days, I resort to it only after trying for a while to find an item or a buyer on TB. I'd rather pass something on to a fellow TB'er at sub-eBay prices than deal with the new rules, fees & shady strangers over there.
I still do a bit on the 'bay, though. Wider net, you know...
I still do a bit on the 'bay, though. Wider net, you know...
Thanks for all the feedback, guys. It really clarified a few things for me. I was really unaware of all this stuff.
I modified my info here on TB. If there is things missing please let me know. I am not sure how all that will help with the sale, but hey, I'm open.
I had a TBer vouch for me on the ads. I have bought two basses from him and I think we have developped a good relationship. That should help.
Also, I am certainly willing to give my phone number and adress to prospective buyers. I guess that should help too.
I have bought a few things on Ebay...is there some way of letting that feedback be know here on TB? Maybe put it in the ads?
Perhaps as a result, I have some serious interest in the Dyna bass. It's not settled yet, but it looks good!
It leaves the Fender Precision Fretless. And I will be posting another Fender Precision, this one fretted. I can understand that the fretless will take a while, not everyone is interested in these things.
And I am clearer about the pitfalls of Ebay and of the possibilities on CL.
Thanks again!
John
I modified my info here on TB. If there is things missing please let me know. I am not sure how all that will help with the sale, but hey, I'm open.
I had a TBer vouch for me on the ads. I have bought two basses from him and I think we have developped a good relationship. That should help.
Also, I am certainly willing to give my phone number and adress to prospective buyers. I guess that should help too.
I have bought a few things on Ebay...is there some way of letting that feedback be know here on TB? Maybe put it in the ads?
Perhaps as a result, I have some serious interest in the Dyna bass. It's not settled yet, but it looks good!
It leaves the Fender Precision Fretless. And I will be posting another Fender Precision, this one fretted. I can understand that the fretless will take a while, not everyone is interested in these things.
And I am clearer about the pitfalls of Ebay and of the possibilities on CL.
Thanks again!
John
Ebay and Talkbass have something in common - you should do your homework when you join.
When you signed up for Talkbass, the signup process made it clear that there IS a user profile. In fact, there's a profile in EVERY online forum. I'm stunned by the number of people who don't take an extra minute or two to actually read the directions and fill out helpful info when they join a listserv or forum.
Ebay is much the same. Watch, read and observe. Asking questions is also good...but take the answers you get with a grain of salt.
Personally I have feedback of almost 900 transactions on Ebay, with 100% positive feedback. I have had only two problematic transactions, one of which was eventually resolved, the other was partially resolved. I read the directions, studied the complaint process, and used the mechanisms Ebay provides.
I simply do not understand the people who bitch and moan about having to use Paypal. it's like having to add one more payment method makes them think that Big Brother is about to come over the horizon in a black helicopter and drag them off. Paypal has never failed me, I've had no problems with it, and it's moving across the Internet as a payment method for many other sites.
Advice: I use Paypal often, but I don't use it when I think there is potential for a transaction to become a problem. In that case, either don't buy or use a credit card so that you have a well-documented complaint/challenge process. The one time I did want to contest a payment, Paypal made it clear that they were NOT a credit card company and their complaint process does not allow stopping payment. Therefore, if I were to make a big purchase ($1000 or more) I would avoid Paypal and use a credit card so I would have less cash at risk.
Read the directions at Ebay. learn how to search auctions; learn how to search closed auctions; use the 'watch" mechanism, and use the search mechanism. Set up standing searches for things you're interested in and watch the auctions for a couple of months before you buy, if possible. You'll get a very solid idea of what things are selling for.
Finally, SNIPE. Auctions don't really begin until the last 2 minutes, and the real bidding takes place in the last 30 seconds! YOU need to be online with your highest bid ready, and submit with 15-20 seconds left in the auction. If you can't be there, use Auctionsniper or a similar service to snipe for you. If you bid early, some idiot will come along and put in 30 bids, raising the bid price $1 at a time, until he finally exceeds your bid. If you wait (along with everyone else) and bid at the last second, the idiot doesn't have time to do that, and you are likely to bid higher because they don't have time to creep up the bid.
I have gotten out of bed at 1:30 in the morning to bid on an item that I really wanted. I figure that the odds are better for me at that time, because not many people are motivated enough to get up at that hour, and many people aren't crafty enough (or too cheap) to use a sniping service to make their bid and spend an extra couple bucks for the service. Most of the time, I've won the auction when I do that.
When you signed up for Talkbass, the signup process made it clear that there IS a user profile. In fact, there's a profile in EVERY online forum. I'm stunned by the number of people who don't take an extra minute or two to actually read the directions and fill out helpful info when they join a listserv or forum.
Ebay is much the same. Watch, read and observe. Asking questions is also good...but take the answers you get with a grain of salt.
Personally I have feedback of almost 900 transactions on Ebay, with 100% positive feedback. I have had only two problematic transactions, one of which was eventually resolved, the other was partially resolved. I read the directions, studied the complaint process, and used the mechanisms Ebay provides.
I simply do not understand the people who bitch and moan about having to use Paypal. it's like having to add one more payment method makes them think that Big Brother is about to come over the horizon in a black helicopter and drag them off. Paypal has never failed me, I've had no problems with it, and it's moving across the Internet as a payment method for many other sites.
Advice: I use Paypal often, but I don't use it when I think there is potential for a transaction to become a problem. In that case, either don't buy or use a credit card so that you have a well-documented complaint/challenge process. The one time I did want to contest a payment, Paypal made it clear that they were NOT a credit card company and their complaint process does not allow stopping payment. Therefore, if I were to make a big purchase ($1000 or more) I would avoid Paypal and use a credit card so I would have less cash at risk.
Read the directions at Ebay. learn how to search auctions; learn how to search closed auctions; use the 'watch" mechanism, and use the search mechanism. Set up standing searches for things you're interested in and watch the auctions for a couple of months before you buy, if possible. You'll get a very solid idea of what things are selling for.
Finally, SNIPE. Auctions don't really begin until the last 2 minutes, and the real bidding takes place in the last 30 seconds! YOU need to be online with your highest bid ready, and submit with 15-20 seconds left in the auction. If you can't be there, use Auctionsniper or a similar service to snipe for you. If you bid early, some idiot will come along and put in 30 bids, raising the bid price $1 at a time, until he finally exceeds your bid. If you wait (along with everyone else) and bid at the last second, the idiot doesn't have time to do that, and you are likely to bid higher because they don't have time to creep up the bid.
I have gotten out of bed at 1:30 in the morning to bid on an item that I really wanted. I figure that the odds are better for me at that time, because not many people are motivated enough to get up at that hour, and many people aren't crafty enough (or too cheap) to use a sniping service to make their bid and spend an extra couple bucks for the service. Most of the time, I've won the auction when I do that.
Exactly. Just wanted to know and make sure nothing like that is occurring now.
Which it isn't.
I agree with you completely. Although, I have learned that lesson from the other end. I have learned that it is very important to list your item so that it will end during a time which maximizes the number of snipers out there.
The IRS receives ALL transaction reports.
Big merchant or attic cleaner - it all goes into the computers when a transaction is made. There may be ways of getting around this - but I don't even want to go there. My dad worked as an IRS fraud investigator after he retired from the Navy - he told me.
There are people on SSD and other forms of aid that are NOT ALLOWED to earn any money for silly things like extra medications that are not covered by SSD-SSI-pt 2 and up for various and valid reasons. Some just try to supplement their meager benefits by selling a few family heirlooms and junk for things like food and insurance.
These people think they are not being red-flagged, but they are. It ain't black helicopters - it's the 'puter age.
Fraud against the Feds or even on a State level are viewed with hand wringing to them and they will prosecute with prima-facia evidence when you leave that electronic paper trail.
There may be a threshold that triggers a visit, but I don't know where it is or who comes to your door. Just be informed - the gummermint is running on empty and they will try to squeeze every penny out of you.
However - that said - denial is such a nice, pink place in your mind.
with ebay, youre more likely to sell it, but very likely, at a much lower price than somewhere like the TB classifieds.
first off, they charge you somewhere around 10% of your sale price, plus the few bucks for the listing. second, theres so much competition on ebay, that people will only pay as much as they need too-wich is usually a pretty low price.
to me, ebay (as a seller, for instruments) is a last resort "just get rid of this bass already" type of thing.
first off, they charge you somewhere around 10% of your sale price, plus the few bucks for the listing. second, theres so much competition on ebay, that people will only pay as much as they need too-wich is usually a pretty low price.
to me, ebay (as a seller, for instruments) is a last resort "just get rid of this bass already" type of thing.
The IRS receives ALL transaction reports.
My dad worked as an IRS fraud investigator after he retired from the Navy - he told me.
There are people on SSD and other forms of aid that are NOT ALLOWED to earn any money for silly things like extra medications that are not covered by SSD-SSI-pt 2 and up for various and valid reasons. Some just try to supplement their meager benefits by selling a few family heirlooms and junk for things like food and insurance.
These people think they are not being red-flagged, but they are. It ain't black helicopters - it's the 'puter age.
Fraud against the Feds or even on a State level are viewed with hand wringing to them and they will prosecute with prima-facia evidence when you leave that electronic paper trail.
There may be a threshold that triggers a visit, but I don't know where it is or who comes to your door. Just be informed - the gummermint is running on empty and they will try to squeeze every penny out of you.
However - that said - denial is such a nice, pink place in your mind.
So you are now saying there is legislature to be taxed for items sold on ebay? And the specifics are? Very unclear what you are getting at, as certainly what you eluded to earlier is not in effect.
In my experience, any 'for sale' medium is a crapshoot...
The only real difference is CL seems to be festered with all the 'Nigerian scams'. Rarely, if ever, you find those from TB or Fleabay, but you still get the same lowballers, trade offers, tire kickers, flakes. lol.
That said, I ALWAYS use TB Classifieds FIRST and haven't had any problems buying or selling. I trust 98% of the members here because we are all musicians\bass players....for the most part. You have to price things right and be patient though., unless you are willing to let your gear go for cheap for immediate sale. I'm in the middle of selling a bass right now that was listed here for about a month. But I wasn't aggressively selling it. I would only bump it once every few days.
I've sold a bass on Ebay and did not have any problems. I used the BARE MINIMUM for my auction to avoid any extra fees, other than the expected PP fees.
I've sold stuff on CL successfully although it took some time and I had to sift through scams and odd trades (e.g. HDTVs, bikes, computers, etc).
My order of preference for buying or selling bass gear is TB, local CL then Fleabay.
YMMV.
The only real difference is CL seems to be festered with all the 'Nigerian scams'. Rarely, if ever, you find those from TB or Fleabay, but you still get the same lowballers, trade offers, tire kickers, flakes. lol.
That said, I ALWAYS use TB Classifieds FIRST and haven't had any problems buying or selling. I trust 98% of the members here because we are all musicians\bass players....for the most part. You have to price things right and be patient though., unless you are willing to let your gear go for cheap for immediate sale. I'm in the middle of selling a bass right now that was listed here for about a month. But I wasn't aggressively selling it. I would only bump it once every few days.
I've sold a bass on Ebay and did not have any problems. I used the BARE MINIMUM for my auction to avoid any extra fees, other than the expected PP fees.
I've sold stuff on CL successfully although it took some time and I had to sift through scams and odd trades (e.g. HDTVs, bikes, computers, etc).
My order of preference for buying or selling bass gear is TB, local CL then Fleabay.
YMMV.
bongomania
Commercial User
True! I usually schedule my auctions to end in the early evening, after people get off work (taking time zones into account) but before they go to bed.
My FB is about 150 and I have bought about 20 guitars on ebay. My luck has not been good with ebay as since they make all of their money off of the sellers, they always side with sellers. Out of some 200 buying transactions (quite often the seller does not give any feedback), I have had 3 no ships (never received anything), 5 fakes (counterfeit items mostly from China), 4 badly damaged items (all due to extremely poor packing by seller), 7 lesser than paid for items (cheaper model - like ordering a Mercedes and getting a Kia) and in two cases where I sent items back, I never got a refund or the correct item.
Ebay and PayPal ALWAYS back the seller. Right now I am fighting a seller who sold me a new guitar, he put it in a couple of those thin plastic shopping bags (like you get at Wal Mart) with no padding whatsoever and then put it in a box several sizes too big with no padding. Needless to say the US Post Office tried to create an instant relic for me. The guitar took hits so hard that the plastic bags were pressed into the wood body of the guitar in numerous places. Ebay thinks I should pay $60 to have it packed and shipped back to the seller so he can consider whether or not I should get a refund at his convenience of course.
I also found out last time that I protested never getting an expensive item I had bought on ebay that the customer service representatives at ebay must first be "Power Sellers". Their response that time was "If you can prove you never received the item, we will ask the seller to provide us with proof of shipment.". When I asked how I could do this, the ebay customer rep laughed and said "You can't; its impossible; give up and go away".
Ebay and PayPal ALWAYS back the seller. Right now I am fighting a seller who sold me a new guitar, he put it in a couple of those thin plastic shopping bags (like you get at Wal Mart) with no padding whatsoever and then put it in a box several sizes too big with no padding. Needless to say the US Post Office tried to create an instant relic for me. The guitar took hits so hard that the plastic bags were pressed into the wood body of the guitar in numerous places. Ebay thinks I should pay $60 to have it packed and shipped back to the seller so he can consider whether or not I should get a refund at his convenience of course.
I also found out last time that I protested never getting an expensive item I had bought on ebay that the customer service representatives at ebay must first be "Power Sellers". Their response that time was "If you can prove you never received the item, we will ask the seller to provide us with proof of shipment.". When I asked how I could do this, the ebay customer rep laughed and said "You can't; its impossible; give up and go away".
I know the IRS angle isn't working yet - but there are people caught everyday in welfare and SSD fraud. There are limits to income if you are in some programs, others won't allow ANY income since you aren't able to work - even a keyboard.
Fraud is always in vogue. If you are receiving any federal or state or even county aid, then you are constantly being reported to the correct agencies.
If there's a check, credit card or Pay Pal action, then there's a paper trail.
That's pretty clear I think.
One very old woman at a run down ranch around here where I live made a little cash on E-bay and got hammered by the Riverside County Welfare department.
bongomania
Commercial User
Seriously? I've bought over 400 items on Ebay, ranging in price from $1 to $2500, and I've never had any no-ships; never gotten any fakes; and never received any lesser-model items. It baffles me what you must be bidding on to get these bizarre results.
I have gotten about a dozen poorly-packed items, but in only three cases was the item damaged noticeably/badly. In all three of those cases I got a refund because Paypal sided with me, the buyer.
This is not reality. Not one word of it. I don't know why you'd make this stuff up... it's weird.
--Ebay does not hire only "Power Sellers" for their CS reps. If anything, their standards are too low for that.
--Ebay/Paypal asks the seller for proof of shipment, but since there is no such thing as "proof of not receiving", they obviously do not ask for that. I repeat, they do not have a policy of asking for something that does not exist and never has existed.
--If the CS rep actually told you to "give up and go away", they would probably be fired, at least after you reported it to their manager. Most of those calls are recorded.
Don't get me wrong, I hate many things about Ebay, and I avoid selling on there. But your description sounds utterly hallucinatory. I wonder if there is a language barrier?
I tend to agree with Bongo, everything I bought was covered by paypal, including three fakes which I thought might have been fakes but took a chance anyways BECAUSE ebay had my back.
But, I am an experienced ebay user, some of the stuff in this thread just seems like pure nonsense but I guess if you don't have that experience or are paranoid you got a different perspective. But that changes nothing about how much I've used it, which is a hell of a lot.
But, I am an experienced ebay user, some of the stuff in this thread just seems like pure nonsense but I guess if you don't have that experience or are paranoid you got a different perspective. But that changes nothing about how much I've used it, which is a hell of a lot.
