Ebay purchases

[Anonymous]

I'm somewhat new to the train market, I'm reliving my childhood with my 5 yr old grandson, were working on a layout together. My question is about making purchases on Ebay, I'm kinda old school in the fact I like to buy from local dealers who can answer my questions, not to mention if something was to go wrong with the product, but the prices on Ebay are hard to pass up when looking at some of the more expensive items like the 397 coal loader ($85.00) or the 49810 log loader ($71.00). These prices range anywhere from 40 to 50 % off retail, can anyone give me any insight as to pass experiences buying this way?......thx.

[Anonymous]

I would never deal with Ebay. I purchased an item a while ago and used "pay pal" to pay for it. Well a few weeks went by. Then a couple months. I was able to get the guys phone number from Ebay and called. His wife said "Oh yes" i will send that right out. Well after a few week sand nothing, called again. She said "Oh yeah I have your information right here" and even repeated it to me. Well to make a very long story shorter, this went on an on for months and then I found out that he had screwed others too. Ebay said that the purchase price was not large enough for them to get involve and even when they do, they can only call the person and try to get them to come through on their end of the bargain. Well I finally did some investigating and managed to get the crooks address and sent them a letter telling them I planned on taking legal action. With in hours of receipt of the letter they had credited my pay pal account. I got lucky! There are a lot of good honest people on Ebay and probably 99% of them come through as promised, but after this I realized just how vulnerable you are when you pay for something with no guarantee that you are going to get it...

[Big_Boy_4005]

There are some good or even great deals to be had on eBay, there are also some potential pitfalls to be avoided. If you have never bought on eBay before, they have a lot of information posted there to help buyers.

Here is a little that they may not have listed.

Keep your eye on shipping charges. Every seller has different charges for shipping, and that can make the difference between a good deal and a bad one in a hurry. I like winning multiple auctions from the same seller, and most will combine your winnings to cut down that cost.

PayPal is a payment method that I like very much, and won't buy on eBay if sellers won't accept PayPal. Some people have had problems with PayPal, I have only had perfect results. Using PayPal allows you to charge a credit card ot other source of funds and allows you to make a payment to a seller quickly and easily. It also can give you some recourse in the event of a problem, for the specifics see their info.

Read the feedback on any potential seller before placing a bid on an item. Everyone on eBay has a feedback rating, it is their business reputation on eBay. Many are perfect, some are not. Check them out!

Remember that most sales on eBay are AUCTIONS. Know about the item you are thinking of buying, and set a limit on your bidding. It is very easy to get carried away.

One final hint, it helps to be in front of your computer within the last 2 minutes of an auction, as that is when most contested items are won or lost.

[:)]

[Anonymous]

I've had four years of good luck on eBay. In that time I have accumulated a little over 225 transactions, mostly for buying model railroad related items, plus a few sales.

I definitely look at the feedback of the seller when deciding to bid on an item. A seller with a 100% positive feedback or close to it is likely to provide good service. Shipping charges certainly have to be considered. Usually if a definite shipping fee is not stated I won't bid on an item, also if shipping charges are too grossly inflated that must be considered in what your bid is going to be.

If an item is being sold as-is, where-is, etc., better look very closely at the pictures to be sure this is what you want. Many of the sellers will have some kind of guarantee on their product as I always have when selling. The model railroaders that I have dealt with on eBay have been honest, fair, and a pleasure to deal with.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by murrieta


If an item is being sold as-is, where-is, etc., better look very closely at the pictures to be sure this is what you want. Many of the sellers will have some kind of guarantee on their product as I always have when selling. The model railroaders that I have dealt with on eBay have been honest, fair, and a pleasure to deal with.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that you can always ask the seller a question about the item. This may come into play much more when you are looking to buy used items.

Three of my first eBay purchases were TMCC locomotives. As it turned out the seller is an employee of Kalmbach, the company that publishes CTT and sponsors this forum. Recently photos were posted of the employee layout tour, and we all got to see parts of this guy's layout, along with a bunch of other staff members home layouts.

Click on the link to see the layout.
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/873ruars.asp

[jkerklo]

I have purchased 30 or so train items on e-bay and have been pleased. All the sellers I have delt with have been first rate.

I would emphasize the "check shipping," "check out the seller," and "know about what you are buying" cautions mentioned previously.

I avoid the "PayPal Only" sellers and those that require a money order. Getting a money order is too inconvenient, especially for smaller items.

I always pay by personal check, sending a letter with the e-bay item number, description, and my address. Sellers seem pleased with this. I don't think any have held the check for the ten days often quoted.

I only check the "ending today" listings and bid on items that I will know whether I have won them or not on that day. Keeping track of longer periods is more complication than I need. Too often, a better version of an item comes up while I am still the high bidder on another.

I consider e-bay a useful source for train items. The choice is larger than my local hobby shops and train meets. And, sometimes, I have gotten a good deal.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

[Buckeye Riveter]

I have had great success using Ebay, but I have some rules I follow.

1. Only purchase from sellers that sell trains and not much if anything else.

2. A photo must be posted or I don't bid even it if is something I want very badly. In fact, I have forgone bidding when the photo is poor quality.

3. Paypal only. Never ever buy from anyone that only wants cash.

4. Check out sellers past performance. Check out complaints and responses to complaints. (Trainbuddies on Ebay have a 100% rating and are A+++++ in my book.)

5. Ask questions before bidding and if the response is too slow or non-existent you might want to pass. (Somehow question response time is directly proportional to shipping time.)

6. You can use the UPS web site to calculate the shipping charges before you bid if they are not posted. Then send an email to the seller telling them that you are interested in bidding and have calculated the shipping from his posted location to you as being between $$$$ and $$$$$. Does he agree that this would be the shipping? Sometimes they add money for packaging the item and insurance. Make sure you know these amounts.

7. Have an idea what the item is really worth. There is one outfit in northern Ohio that sells on Ebay and constantly prices their items a few dollars off of retail. Often their items get zero bids. The next week they put the same item up again at the same price.

I have a neighbor who sells refurnished antique furniture on Ebay. (Would you believe he has shipped to Europe? The shipping cost more than the furniture.) One day I asked him for advice and he told me about misspelling. For example: We know it as Amtrak, but you wouldn't believe how many sellers will spell it Amtrack and the number of bidders is minimized. Again, a seller who misspells Amtrak raises suspicion, so check them out.

Hope this helps.

BTW, Check out this Ebay web page for an example of a good seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3181946650&category=4148

[nitroboy]

Always check their feedback. I will not buy from someone who has a history of bad feedback. If the guy has a feedback of 500 and one negative, I would still buy from him, my rule of thumb is 1 negative for every 500 positive is good enough for me. Shipping is another big one, got taken a little once, but nothing to bad. And ask questions to the seller if unsure. If they are good sellers, they will respond.

Dave

[GPJ68]

eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!! eBay!!.....

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest, after having this subject matter excised so often and so quickly from the "other" forum....

Having been right successful on eBay for the past several years (mostly purchases and some sales), I'll echo most of the comments above, as well as add/revise some of my own personal guidelines:

- set max bid limits for your items of interest BEFORE you actually start bidding - use the search options to look for similar items that have already sold. A range of high bids is a better guideline for "value" on eBay than any price guide or catalog showing list prices .

- I usually don't bid on a item unless it's got a clear picture that shows some detail. Out-of-focus, zoomed in too close, zoomed out too far are all conditions that cause me to question the actual condition. That doesn't mean you should skip those auctions - just that an email or two to the seller might be a good idea to confirm the condition. A surprising number of regular sellers on eBay are also pretty poor photographers.....

- Read the description carefully. If it provides little (if any) quantitative info about the condition of the item, then definitely ask before bidding. The occasional mispelling or poor grammar utilization is nothing to worry about - it's when the description sounds rushed, incomplete, or inconsistent that the warning bells go off.

- I wouldn't limit yourself to sellers who deal mostly in trains. Some of the better buys I've made have come from the "I don't know much about trains" sellers. you just need to ask more precise questions of them regarding conditon, testing, etc. prior to bidding. Often they know more than they think, or will give you a more precise description of any wear or damage.

- Similarly, just because a seller deals alot in trains doesn't mean he's a reputable seller or provides accurate info on condition and operation.

- Feedback is VERY important. Less than 100% is not necessarily bad, nor is a high 90% necessarily good. Newer sellers may have made a mistake or two that has cost them a negative or few resulting in a lowered rating, while high volume sellers can maintain a high 90% rating while having literally hundreds of dissatisfied buyers - patterns of negatives in a feedback can highlight a less-than-stellar seller .

- I generally treat eBay like I treat a local auction - if i want the item bad enough I'll find a way to be there when it ends. The benefit of eBay over a live auction is that you know EXACTLY when the item will sell. As a rule, I rarely ever bid on an item until the closing seconds. Why? Two reasons: 1) I only have time to place one bid, so i bid what it is worth to me (don't get caught in a bidding war), and 2) There are too many "nickle & dimers" out there that will repeatedly bid the minimum on an item until they find your previously posted max bid. Some consider "sniping" an item in the closing seconds as somehow immoral or unfair. It isn't - I follow the guidelines for proxy bidding as espoused by eBay, I just do it in the closing seconds of the auction (it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings, so to speak). If the current high bidder wants it more than I do (and if he's followed the premise of proxy bidding also), then his previously posted max bid will win over mine. Or vice-versa.

- If shipping charges or shipping method aren't stated in the ad, then ask! If you have a preference (Post Office vs UPS vs ??) then ask that as well. I've been hammered a few times on shipping because I failed to confirm the cost beforehand.

- I don't consider PayPal a must. I rarely use it myself for purchases and have never accepted it for payment on a sale. I'm actually skeptical of sellers who accept "PayPal only" - PayPal has a bad rep for pursuing sellers who fail to ship or misrepresent items when the value is low (under $1000 it seems). Personal check or money order are what I prefer (NEVER cash!). Be aware that most sellers will withold shipping an item for up to two weeks after receiving payment to allow a personal check to clear.

- If any questions still linger after you've read the description, viewed the pics, and checked the feedback, then ASK! If you don't get a satisfactory answer, then move on. That's the best thing about eBay, there's almost always another one coming soon if you've missed out on the first.

GPJ

(one shot, one kill..... on eBay that is)

[Bob Keller]

I've found ebay to be a pretty good place to find things. I've made about 140 purchases in a wide variety of areas from books, paper items, trains, military items, old time radio programs, and other collectibles. I would say that I was "skunked" once, but it was a buyer knowledge issue rather than a shifty seller (I keep it as my $35 reminder of knowing what you're bidding on before you bid). I would never be doing as much trans-Atlantic/Pacific buying if I hadn't stuck my toe in the water with eBay, first.

[Anonymous]

I'm very happy with the items purchased on ebay, both new and used. I prefer paying by Paypal. It's quick and convenient.

I also sold some items that I thought no longer fit my theme. A negative feedback might not be bad. One person gave me a negative feedback for no reason. He claimed that I backed out by not invoicing him. It wasn't true. He backed out and gave me the negative after I invoiced him the third time. He history has other negatives with a refusal to pay $5 for an item.

[Anonymous]

I have shopped on EBAy and I agree with everone here saying just be careful. Check out the feedbacks and make sure the seller has a good rating. I have also found that after paying shipping and handling charges, I would have paid less buying it from a couple of sites I shop on the web. Things are not always cheaper on ebay!! Shop around you may find something cheaper. Good Luck

[Dr.Fu-Manchu]

The Doctor is in[}:)] ! I must agree with all of my learned fellows in what has been said.
But, there was something that was not mentioned. I find it to be a pet peeve when
someone offers an item and puts an overly high opening bid for it. Or the over use of
the word "RARE" One fellow was offering a milk car platform with a replacement
deck and was trying to say it was rare and was asking too much for the item. He was a
G gauger and was using a price guide that had misinformation in it. That is a pitfall to
avoid. On the whole, I have found fair deals on Ebay, but then again, I am looking for
fixer-upers and have gotten good deals(so far) Untill next missive, I remain the humble
[}:)] doctor!

[Anonymous]

I've been on ebay for over 3 years and have made over 100 purchases. I've had many good experiences, although once I never got an item or a response from the seller and sometimes people have just put everything into a box without any packaging (nothings ever been damaged as a result, thankfully). Still, the deals still outweigh the disappointments. I find that ebay can be quite good for finding more wierd and obscure items. Always check for obscure titles like "Train Set", "Old Model Train Pieces" or "Vintage Engine and Car". If you search for a specific item, you won't find one that's listed under a title like this. Also, it's wise to check out the "Other Scales" category, where all the idiots with no train knowledge list their items. "Standard Scale" has many, many items that are not standard gauge listed there. This is where the deals are. Another good piece of advice is to use your own judgement/knowledge over what the seller says. No word's meaning is abused more on ebay than "rare" and often the condition can be overstated. Ebay can also be helpful in expanding your knowledge about traims by simply browsing through items. I would highly recommend you go on ebay. You won't regret it.

[Anonymous]

My experience with sellers is that its best to stay away from anyone with a Ebay rating of 98% or less. I can think of one guy in particular. He's a TCA member, a big seller on Ebay and he took a month to complete my sale! I looked back at his feedback adn realized that other folks had the same problem or didn't get the item at all. The seller would always retaliate for any negative feedback so I'm sure not everyone who could post negative did so. So 98% may sound like a high score but on Ebay it isn't.
The other pet peave I have about Ebay is sellers breaking up engine and tender sets! I guess they make more money that way but it seems a shame.

[bluelinec4]

Just as anything else in life there are good and bad experiences when it comes to Ebay. I am an Ebay junkie. I sell more than I buy but I treat every buyer of my items how I would want to be treated. If they are not happy I offer a refund. If they're still not happy its out of my hands. The previous poster that states one negative feedback in 500 is a pretty good barometer. I have 2100 positives with 4 negatives. 2 of those negatives were retaliation for negatives i gave and two were people that complained, were offered refunds and refused, and then still gave a negative. For the most part people on Ebay are pretty good, there are some bad eggs but if you heed the advice of the above posts you probably will have a good experience and a good deal.
Ben

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jbolton364


The other pet peave I have about Ebay is sellers breaking up engine and tender sets! I guess they make more money that way but it seems a shame.

That angers me, too! I don't think they do it on purpose to get more money, it's just that they find a train set and decide to sell it piece by piece and don't realize these things. The people who do this aren't train people. I'd much rather see a lot of things that don't go together than a lot of something that does go together split up. I once bought a Mettoy tinplate steam engine from ebay and never got the tender. It ended up going higher than the engine did. A friend of mine once ended up with just a B unit from a postwar Lionel CP F3 set. The seller listed the two A units together in another auction.