eBay

This is often my first port of call for a lot of household and garden purchases.

Small traders are increasingly using this facility as it can dramatically cut down their overheads, thus allowing them to offer good prices.

I decided to uprate my main koi pool pump as the Oase 5500 I have is now ten years old and getting tired. I've just had the winning bid on a brand new boxed Oase Start 8,500. I found the majority of on-line supposedly discounted price and at aquatics centres, was £194. There was a "buy it now" price on another of £160, though with a bit of searching through further eBay pages I found a lower on-line price. But not as low as what I paid, which was £105.
So I'm well pleased.

I got my new "pop up" lawn sprinklers on eBay too.

 

I don't like the unpredictability of Ebay. Not too bad with the buy it now prices but then you are stuck really using PayPal (which I DO NOT TRUST). I tend to look at Ebay to get a feel and then use Amazon etc if the price is comparable.

 

I've been buying and selling stuff on eBay for several years and always use Paypal, except for stuff I've gone and collected, like my jukeboxes and a small fridge, There's never been a problem. Nor have I ever had a problem with eBay. You hear these "horror stories" of people being duped, but when I've read into them I've always found it's because they've not followed the eBay system or they've been particularly stupid. As long as you're happy with the charges levied by eBay and Paypal, then I think it's fine.
EBay have a very comprehensive advice section which they encourage people to read before buying or selling. But you know what people are like about "reading instructions."
I pick and choose with whom I deal, I won't buy from anyone who hasn't got a high number of sales and a 100% record.

I've bought and sold a variety of things, jukeboxes, saxophones, other musical instruments, a lot of records, some audio hi fi equipment, jewellery and domestic stuff and every transaction has been satisfactory.

I recently bough a new boxed TV stand for half what Curry's wanted for exactly the same stand and I was even able to choose my delivery day.

Any "45" record I consider to be not as described, I've always got my money back, even from the USA, as vendors don't want negative feedback and want to keep their 100% record, as I have with getting on for 150 transactions.

Amazon is always my "second port of call" I like the fact that you can order something late on Saturday night and it arrives first thing on Monday morning.

 

My Partners Paypal account got hacked. Paypal innitially refused to do anything (and by the way she wasn't stupid). Nawww I will give it a miss, I don't like not knowing if I have won or how much it might cost me. By the way I brought about 70 odd items on Ebay before I gave up on it.

 

Sorry to hear about your partner's Paypal account.
I wasn't suggesting they were stupid, just some of the people whose problems have made the financial pages of newspapers.

I never leave any money in it. I pay for purchases by credit card and withdraw any cash for sales, immediately it goes in. If there's a problem I'd expect Barclaycard to sort it out as I have two accounts with Barclays Bank, so they don't mess me about. They recently sorted out a rogue charge, but that had nothing to do with eBay.
With most financial problems, card companies immediately say "no" it's what their staff are trained to do, but when they find out you're not "'avin it" they usually back down.

 

exactly right, under par.
Best idea is: to use a card only for online dealings, leaving it with irrelevant amount of money in between significant purchases.
It regularely happens that: data which are supposed to be kept secret are by mistake "stolen"...

 

Did you really mean £99 or did you mean 99p?

I thought I was doing well a few weeks ago getting a new L/H Cobra S9-1 driver for forty quid. It's rare finding bargain L/H clubs... anywhere!

I tried to quote a post and it disappeared!

 

Whilst I appreciate that you like Ebay and many thousands also do, the fact you have to take these steps suggests to me that something is fundamentally wrong. But we shall agree to disagree and you enjoy your Ebay and I shall avoid it like the plague. Regards :thumb:

 

I have to admit i'm the same with my PayPal account, money goes in and then it gets withdrawn
almost the same day into my bank account

The only thing you have to watch out for on eBay is if you sell something and the buyer pays through PayPal and then comes and picks it up is if they then claim for a refund in PayPal because they say they never received the item.

cost my brother £170

 

I don't wish to appear insensitive, (some hopes you might say) but for cryin' out loud why didn't he ask the guy to sign a receipt for the item? You'd want a receipt from a carrier. I'd also note the registration of the car in which they arrived.
With sales, I've always insisted on a Paypal payment and sending the item by courier. Most people do that and they "pad" the postage and packing costs to offset some of the Paypal and eBay charges.
Converesly, I've purchased two jukeboxes through eBay, these sales are almost exclusively "cash on collection" and each time I've asked for and received a receipt for the cash. This is just standard business practice, whether it's an eBay sale or not.

 

No probs.

Having been in business for my whole working life, I'm suspicious of "everyone."

On sales, I don't dispatch the item until Paypal have transferred the cash to my bank account, I go on line to check it.

 

how am i meant to know:ywn:

I suppose it probably had something to do with the eBay always spouting on about how safe they are.

and besides even if you had his registration and a signed receipt PayPal couldn't give to hoots to say the least

 

I understand that, but if you've got the cash in your bank account they can't get it back. They can charge your credit card account, but you can get that reversed if you're on good terms with your card company.

Paypal have asked me to sign a "direct debit" as a recent sale was in excess of £500. (They won't let you withdraw more than £500 in a month without one). As Ricky Tomlinson would say; "My ass I will"

I withdrew £500 immediately and the balance went towards something I bought, (the system does that automatically) so once again I have a nil balance with Paypal.

As a matter of routine I go on line and check the balance of all of my bank accounts/investment accounts, credit card and Paypal once or twice a week. As I said I trust "nobody."