EBAY NEWBIE LOSES LOCO


Brakeman Hal

Well-Known Member
Yesterday I began to scan EBAY's long list of O-Scale 2-Rail locomotives, and this is the only place that has dozens for sale, mostly Brass.

I quickly found an engine that had everything I wanted, including a Western road name: Union Pacific. I made a note of where I found it, and went on for a couple hours looking for more to choose from.

When I returned to consider ordering the engine, IT WAS GONE!

I never ordered anything from EBAY, and I guess I should have done something to hold it...

Do you have to establish an account with EBAY to do business with them?

Are Varney locos good quality?

Thanks,
Brakeman Hal
 
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Yes. You should have an Ebay account and link it to PayPal.

Once you do that, you can add an item to your Watchlist. In some spots, it's a heart. The watchlist makes it easy to find in the future.
 
I guess I should have done something to hold it...
There is no 'holding' of items on ebay. Either bid, or purchase.
To find previously looked at items: Top right of ebay page is 'drop down' menu. Sellect "Recently Viewed" to get the disposition of item. It will either list the remaining time forbid, OR list as 'Ended'
 
YES - You can use other Credit Cards; however, PayPal has purchase protection that protects you from unsavory sellers and/or broken items that you may wish to return as NOT being what was described.
You can have a PayPal credit card - a PayPal credit account - OR - a direct payment from your checking account.
 
PayPal deducts purchases directly from a credit card I use only for web purchases and then I also get a "Cash Back" rebate from my purchases!!!

Greg
 
Hal asked:
"Are Varney locos good quality?"

Varney is a long, long gone brand. I don't remember them ever making O scale products, they were HO (I could be wrong). Even their HO scale locomotives will probably need a good deal of work to get them "up to snuff" today.

You need some kind of "account" with ebay to bid or buy there.
Name, password, and if you're buying, you need a paypal account as well.
I WOULD NOT use a debit card -- use a credit card.
Simple, eh...?

If you see an auction you like, either bookmark it or write down the auction number.

How to find things:
Go to ebay's home page
In the search bar, instead of "all categories", pick "toys & hobbies".
Enter some search words, such as:
"o scale union pacific locomotive"
This will show you what's CURRENTLY available.

On the left, you can scroll down to "completed items" and put a check into it to see completed auctions and buy-it-nows, etc.
 
Can't I use my VISA Credit Card without resorting to PayPal?

I don't want to get confused with 2 different credit accounts...I have early Alzheimers and Dementia with increasing forgetfulness.

Brakeman Hal, age 84, now bothered with Arthritis in the Back, Shoulder, and Knee. I can't even do light dumbbell exercises anymore!
 
If I find a "contender", how would I contact the seller to get more information on the engine, such as does have DCC and sound?

Thanks
Hal
 
WOW! EBAY HAS EVERY CATEGORY YOU COULD ASK FOR IN MODEL TRAIN SHOPPING!

I found this out by getting an Acccount with EBAY!

Then, by using my Mouse, I was able to make choices in the following categories:

Scale
Locomotives
Brands (8)
Era
Grading (Quality)
Color
Material (Metal or Plastic)
Delivery time
Condition
Price
Location
Delivery Options

This gives me an intelligent way to shop!

Hal
 
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I don't want to go to the trouble of creating a new Account and providing a new Password...life is too complicated already for this
arthritic 84-year-old!

I'll just use the only Credit Card I own...my VISA.

Thanks anyway...
Brakeman Hal
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Can't I use my VISA Credit Card without resorting to PayPal?

I don't want to get confused with 2 different credit accounts...I have early Alzheimers and Dementia with increasing forgetfulness.

Hal, this depends on the seller you want to buy from. Some can and will take a Visa or other big name credit card separately from PayPal, but those are sellers who typically have a brick and mortar store somewhere. The vast majority of sellers on eBay are small guys (like me!) selling off a few things at a time.

If you really want to use your Visa, you can plug its information into PayPal and they will handle the money transaction for you. I use my Visa through PayPal as I just described.

PayPal is also pretty secure, actually, almost to a fault. 99% of the time any problems with a sale are pinned on the seller.
 



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