How would you rate Ebay for train purchases overall

[tgovebaker]

I have had only good experiences with eBay, but am always wary of the risks. In fact, I think I know which woman the first poster is referring to. She recently posted about 60 auctions, most of which were for "like new" Lionel locomotives. I had been looking for a while for a pair of Rio Grande SD-50s, and she was offering two of them. Before I had a chance to think through what I was doing, I had bid on both. It was only then that I realized she had a zero feedback rating. I guess I should not have been surprised to learn that she only accepts checks or money orders.

I wound up winning the auctions, and subsequently had to send payment. Before doing so, I attempted to contact her for more information, but consistently did not get a response. Finally, in desperation, I had to go through eBay to get her contact information. This process automatically sends a notice to the seller, which did result in an invoice with a name and address.

I am not confident that I will ever see the merchandise in question, but I'll keep you posted (and will gladly apologize to the seller if proven wrong).

The good news, such as it is, is that eBay does have a seller protection program that will repay defrauded buyers up to $200 per transaction, minus a $25 fee. The worst that can happen is that I will be out $50, which is better than being out $300.

The lesson: don't bid on anything unless you are confident that the seller is credible. If you can't control yourself, under no circumstances should you bid more thant $200, because you can't get it back. Finally, make sure you know what resources are available to you through eBay's buyer protection program, and keep a detailed record of the transaction process in case you need to file a complaint.

Wish me luck...

[jimhaleyscomet]

I have purchased some junk (which shipping cost made not a deal) and have gotten a very few great deals. Ebay seems to often get more for stuff than it would sell for at a local hobby shop or trian show. However Ebay does have the widest selection. If you have money and want a scarce piece now Ebay is an option. If it is a new item and relatively available elsewhere you can often do better at the online mail order train sellers or even your local dealer.

So I rate Ebay as a 5 out of 10 overall for purchases. I do not get much from Ebay anymore.

Jim H

[Dr. John]

A great deal of my train collection was purchased on Ebay and I feel that I've made some good deals (and one or two not so good). I would hesitate before bidding much on an item from a seller with a "0" rating. It's your money, so be careful. Do your homework, place your bid and good luck!

[Anonymous]

I haven't puchased much on Ebay to date, but was able to purchase a Marklin HO E40 electric loco w/dgtl horn that was only available in a large set. The seller offered the set components as individual sale items. I got the engine for a great price! I'm happy! I love to window shopping on Ebay too. You never know what you'll find!

[Anonymous]

My experience has been good, with the exception of one purchase of track and switches. There are 5 rules that I follow.

1. Do not buy any item unless the seller states the condition. If the seller says it is untested, you have to assume it doesn't work. it the listing is just a picture with no description of condition, ask what the condition the item is in. If you don't get a satisfactory reply, don't bid.

2. If the seller has ANY negative feedback read it. Look for any consistancy in the negative feedbacks. If you see multiple complaints along the same line, be very wary. You have to realize that most people are very reluctant to give negative feedback, because the seller (especially if they are unethical) will nearly always retaliate with their own negative feedback. Because of this you need to be careful, even of someone with a 98 or 99% positive rating. One way to sort this out legitimate negatives from bogus ones is to drill down and look at the feedback of the person who left the negative comment. If they are a chronic complainer, you can usually pick up an indication.

3. If shipping is not specifically stated, ask. There are sellers who make more on the shipping than the items. If you "win" a bid without knowing the shipping charge, you are obligated to pay whatever the seller charges.

4. If you have any doubts, ask the seller a question, any question. If you don't get a fairly rapid and polite response, don't bid on their item. A seller who is too busy to answer questions is likely to be even harder to communicate with after the sale.

5. Check the price of an item at one or two of the on-line stores and in e-Bay Completed Items before you bid. This can provide a gauge of how hard to find the item is as well as giving you a reasonable top price to bid.

One other comment, there are a LOT of people watching what's for sale on e-Bay. If you see a price that looks too good to be true, it probably is. Doesn't mean you can't get a good deal, but if it looks like a really great deal, you need to figure out what's scaring off everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Hello All: Bought a lot , Found a lot of peices you can't find in hobby stores, check the item description carefully, check feedback, overall I have been happy with all transaction's. Have a Great day Steve

[Anonymous]

I have won bids on seven O gauge locomotives- a Marx 999 that runs like new, a lionel Alco FA that runs well, a Lionel 246 that doesn't run at all, a Marx 21 that only hums, another Marx 21 that only runs in reverse and 2 Marx 21s that are dummies but look good.
Beware of the seller that states in the ad "I have no way to test so I can't guarantee". You can bet the farm they are looking to unload a piece of junk.

[tjsprague]

Be careful of 0 feedbacks. My neice got taken for a few hundred dollars on a "to-good-to-be-true" deal on an iPod.

As far as trains go, probably half of my collection came from ebay. And I've sold quite a bit this past year too. I always try to be honest, pointing out, and photographing flaws. And I state that I'm a TCA member. People seem to appreciate it. In some cases I've sold things far above what I thought I'd get for them, other times things went for far less. That's the auction game.

I'd sugghest making usre the photos are clear, or assk for more. And ask about any details, along with a return policy for misrepresented items. Some sellers claime to "know notheing about trains", but they seem to know the Greenberg values.

Also, if you see negative feedbacks, check out the details. Personally, I've got 2 in the last year. One was the result of a seller sending me a repaint, then ignoring my emails for 3 weeks, the other was a buyer who did not respond to my request for payment. I felt it was better for me to give the negative, thus risking one in return, so others would know what these folks were like. To me that's more important than protecting my pristine feedback rating.

Have fun!

Tim

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BillFromWayne

I like eBay and have bought many items, including expensive items through eBay.
In my opinion the key to successful transactions are: 1. Good communications between the bidder and seller. 2. Understanding completely the seller's auction description and what you are bidding on and it's suggested retail price. 3. Understanding the seller's shipping & return policy. 4. Don't bid emotionally.

Be very warry of any seller with zero feedback.

Hope this helps.
BillFromWayne
www.modeltrainjournal.com

I would like to humbly add to this that do your research, there are alot of products on ebay that you can get at the hobby store or mail order. Know what you are dealing with for example a Athearn Box car should have all it's parts and not have a asking price of 20 dollars unless there are two or more in the set.

Communicate questions during the time the auction is on going. I am communicating about a specific ore car set with a seller on ebay and it has 5 days to go.. I have plent y of time to decide if I will buy this item and for what price.

Once you decide on a price that is hopefully lower than retail or a price that is the MAXIMUM you will pay then the last day of the auction is the time to bid. Beware that snipers (**raises hand...I confess my guilt) will try to snatch the item away

I have a soft spot for sellers willing to ship free, at a flat rate or multiple items on one price. If there are anything that you dont understand about the item and seller has not responded then dont bid and hopefully a similar item may come around down the road.

Good Luck

[Anonymous]

I like eBay and have bought many items, including expensive items through eBay.
In my opinion the key to successful transactions are: 1. Good communications between the bidder and seller. 2. Understanding completely the seller's auction description and what you are bidding on and it's suggested retail price. 3. Understanding the seller's shipping & return policy. 4. Don't bid emotionally.

Be very warry of any seller with zero feedback.

Hope this helps.
BillFromWayne
www.modeltrainjournal.com

[laz 57]

Not bad rating for Ebay. I, like Tim have gotten some good deals like my Lionel beer cars all except the Coors car were under 45 bucks. They list in Greenbergs for under that but if you want the cars they are out there to get. Most people that sell are pretty good to deal with I usually look for the rating of a seeler anything under 97% , I will usually pass on. Also ask questions and ask if they are TCA members, this sometimes helps.
laz57

[TurboOne]

I learned a lot. I "won" some great deals, trains turned out to be poor to fair in quality. Of course I was buying cheap. [oX)] Always look to see where the item is coming from, it doesn't do any good to win something at $0.99 and pay $100 shipping as you are in nebraska and its coming from China. Read everything carefully, so that you know exactly what you are bidding on. Also I read the positives and the negatives. Sometimes the negatives are retaliation between buyer and seller, nothing bad, just words. Don't overpay. Too many people bid more than if you went to your LHS and just bought it.

Enjoy and bid smartly.

Tim

[Anonymous]

ive had mostly good experiences so far.... i did buy some HO track that turned out to be crap. i also bought a MTH challenger for a great price, it had PS1 sound upgrade that was unlisted which was a plus, but it also had a FUBARd smokeunit that cost me $80 to have repaired..... gosh i hate these new electronics, because i cant fix them!....

everything else i bought was great..... i would never ever buy from someone with 0 feedback or anyone with 2 or more recient bad feedbacks.

[Anonymous]

I was looking on Ebay and they had some good deals. I just wanted to know how well or bad your experiences were. Can you trust a seller with a 0 rating? I tried to buy a lionel MTH UP SD 90 MAC from some woman. I sent her an email to make sure it was lionel and the2000 year model but she didn't know. I didn't buy it because I was not sure.