New Ebay format

[Anonymous]

Since we, up here in Northern MN we are going into our hibernation mode (Model Railroading Mode for me) I have started fooling around on Ebay, buying and selling again! It really seems to me that EBAY has totally screwed up the process of selling. It has gotten so confusing that I am really struggling attampting to list, send Invoices and do feed back! What's up here? Are any of you folks having the same problems as me? I suppose reading their tutorial would help. However, wadding through ebay used to be intuitive! Now, it's like if you don't use Pay Pal, they'd just as soon you didn't use Ebay.

[orsonroy]

New Ebay's not really any different than the last version (which I got used too as well when they changed to THAT new system). Most of the functionality is the same, it just looks different. Definitely go through the tutorial.

And actually, I prefer Paypal to just about any other payment system. It's fast, efficient, secure, and gets the job done without me having to think too hard. I basically never buy anything from a seller who doesn't use Paypal, and when I sell, I set Paypal as my preferred payment option (and don't accept personal checks at ALL)

[rrinker]

The new format is annoying, that's for sure. But if you look on various pages there are customize buttons so you can make it show you want you want (or rather, what you used to have before they changed it all!).

Feature bloat, get used to it. I doubt one in 100 people were asking for more features, so they gave them to us anyway. It was easier to use the old way.

[AntonioFP45]

I started using Ebay back in June as a buyer. Overall experience has been positive. I've considered selling some of my older Athearns on ebay. Once I calculated the costs for upgrading" them to DCC standards, I could simply buy new P2K units on Ebay or at train shows.

Thanks for the heads up though.

[Anonymous]

I find the new format very easy to use. If you look closely at the listing page (selling), you can actually select the old format for listing and item. The new format is for the high speed sellers who know the exact catagory number.

I agree on the Paypal thing, the only way to go. I get a fair price for used stuff and always check ebay before I buy elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

deschane

While I don't sell anything on ebay, I do buy quite a few things on there. Just my opinion, but I think as a seller paypal might be worth whatever it charges sellers. As a buyer I prefer to pay by paypal. It's quicker and easier than getting a money order or whatever and mailing it. I don't know how many other folks are like me, but I am more likely to bid on things that I can pay via paypal.

Dave

P.S. Of course if you have any of the Walthers MP54 kits and trucks listed I'll bid regardless of pay method!!!

[StillGrande]

At first I didn't like the new format, but now I really do. Being able to customize what is displayed has become a big help. I am one of the biggest "change is bad" people I know, but I have to admit I have come around on it. Having multiple purchases and sales to a single person grouped for you is really nice.

I also am a fan of Paypal. I have found that I get higher bids (and faster bidding) in listings with paypal as an option. It is definitely easier than dragging to the bank and having to wait with a box while a check clears. It has also helped to expand the number of bidders I accept by restricting international bidders to paypal payment only. I have shipped to Europe, Canada and Australia with no problems. Having the USPS give me the shipping costs online makes this a breeze. It is really a tiny form to fill out (addresses and approximate costs). Often, the shipping overseas is cheaper than Priority mail in the US.

[Anonymous]

I've been buying a lot (and selling a bit) on eBay lately, and no matter how much I want something, if the seller doesn't take PayPal I give it a pass. I prefer the protection that PayPal give you, rather than sending essentially ca***o an unknown person and hoping they're honest.

[Javern]

I love it, 99% of my buyers use Paypal and usually send payment before I even have to send a invoice.

[Anonymous]

Interesting. I've been buying on eBay for a while now, and don't have paypal (there seem to be far too many security questions about it for my liking). I go for the option of sending a cheque, and have never had any problems - just follow the usual rules of only bidding for items from sellers with good feedback, and most UK eBayers seem honest people. I suspect a lot of the dishonest sellers are not dealing in model trains, but in electronics and clothing, amongst other things. Just my opinions and experiences!

[Hawks05]

i always pay with money order. thats the only way my parents, well my mom, let me use ebay. my dad doesn't know yet. i just get something in the mail and say it is from a catalogue or something.

money order seems to be the safest way to buy from ebay. i like the new format for the most part. i to just started buying off there again. took the summer off, and like the original poster, its that time of year to spend a lot of time inside. so i should have something to do.

[Anonymous]

Buying on Ebay has always been easy! You don't want to put buyers through a bunch of hoops, it will only chase them away. I don't care for Pay Pal. The money gets dumped into my wifes and my checking account and I like to keep it separate. I don't buy from anyone whom does not except M.O.s. I live 7 miles from town and I don't find it difficult to remember to buy and make out a money order for something I purchased. I had a Pay Pal account and ended up with a problem, which did get resolved, after quite a long time. Now, I have trust issues with Pay pal. However, some of what you PP users have said makes sense and I might consider setting up an account, again.

[Dough]

I've been wondering about Pay Pal as well. I have not become "verified" and I don't know that I want too. However, I believe that it is going to require me to if I ever end up using it for a total $2000. I'm not anywhere close to that total yet, but I was curious how all of you felt about this feature? I don't know that I want to connect it directly to one of my banking acounts. Have most of the people on here already "verified?"

[rrinker]

I've been a verified PayPal user for a long time now. Never had an issue. I never keep much money in it though. Selling with PayPal is nice, I usually get paid within minutes of the auction ending. And I pay people who accept PayPal right away as well. In fact tend to avoid auctions that won't take PayPal, although if they take credit cards I use my PayPal debit card .


-Randy

[Anonymous]

While we're talking about eBay, can some of you give me some tips on feedback? I have bought a couple items from a seller, paid using PayPal on the same day as the end of the auction, but I haven't recieved feedback. I am just wondering if i should email the seller and ask if there was a problem or not? I have left my feedback (which was positive) for the seller, so I am just a little confused...

Thanks

[rrinker]

I assume you received the items before you left feedback. Some people are like that, they just don't bother. If they did, I'd have a lot more than the 50 I have now. That goes both ways, both sellers and buyers. I guess they can;t be bothered. If the seller was a huge store-type operation, it might take a while since they probably have 1000+ auctions closing in a week and it takes a whiel to get around to posting it all.
That's the only real problem with the feedback system - there's no real control over it. Ever check one of those sellers that has 1000+ postive feedback and 1 or 2 negatives? GUARANTEED the negatives are for some STUPID invalid reason, and getting a negative removed is next to impossible.

--Randy

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys. Yeah I wait until I get what I won to leave the feedback. The people were really quick to respond to my questions, so maybe that is whats bugging me. Maybe I'll try I nice reminder email.

[Anonymous]

I've found that sometimes busy sellers do a "gang feedback" sometimes a month after the deal closes. I have found that many sellers won't leave feedback until the buyer does. While at first that kind of ticked me off, I changed my mind when I saw that some sellers were getting slammed for things like: high shipping prices (the price was clearly stated on the listing), not accepting paypal (the listing clearly stated that) etc etc.

I don't mind waiting for sellers to post their feedback on me. I think after nearly 400 transactions over the past several years only one or two never left me any.

[darth9x9]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dough

I've been wondering about Pay Pal as well. I have not become "verified" and I don't know that I want too. However, I believe that it is going to require me to if I ever end up using it for a total $2000. I'm not anywhere close to that total yet, but I was curious how all of you felt about this feature? I don't know that I want to connect it directly to one of my banking acounts. Have most of the people on here already "verified?"

Two years ago, there were real potential problems with PayPal (I called it PainPal). They wanted to run a financial institution without all of the regulations of being a fianancial institution. You can go to www.paypalwarning.com for some real horror stories. But the federalies stepped in and made PayPal change the way the operated to include better appeal prcosses for unfreezing accounts and monies. Since eBay bought PayPal, things are much better now. The verification process is to protect you as well as PayPal from fraud.

Here is my recommendation for using PayPal:
- set up a savings account with the bank you normally doing your checking with
- only use the savings account for PayPal transactions
- if you need to put money into the savings account for a PayPal transaction, use your banks online baking (or ATM) [online banking is becoming a standard feature at most banks now.] to transfer money from checking into savings.

This way if your account were to be compromised for some reason, and the money in your savings account would potentially be lost.