Using Ebay and are we being smart about what we buy there?


N

NP2626

Guest
Sometime In the past 10 years or so, Ebay has become more a place for store front hobby shops to sell-off their stock than a place where the individual sells off the stuff he has! Much of the products sold there are higher priced than other online businesses sell the same products. The shipping costs of these items may also have higher prices than the post office actually charges, so these businesses are charging more for there items and charging more for the cost of shipping than they need to.

When I first got into Ebay, it was a place where I could sell off items I no longer wanted. Generally prices for items on Ebay were fire sale prices and one could save quite a bit of money by buying on Ebay. This really is no longer true! Yes, it was Buyer Beware and you might end up getting ripped off however, my luck using Ebay was good enough that the occasional bad deal was easily overlooked.

Be all of this as it may, it is the buyers responsibility to make certain they are not paying to much. This post is an admonishment to use due diligence when shopping on Ebay; or, anywhere else for that matter!
 
IT depends on what you are buying or selling. Somethings are cheaper on Evil Bay - some things are not. Mostly I find it to be a source for hard to find items, or things which are no longer available on the open market.

I am quite sure there are more places to sell things rather than Evil Bay. Just my experience - the real thing I hate, simply detest about the whole thing is the "auction" process. Ask for a price - and - then sell it. NO they have this stupid bidding war. I have lost so many things I have been watching, and right at the bitter end --- watching the clock tick down 30 seconds - 25 seconds - 20 seconds, and I am on line but some goof jumps in faster than I can type and outbids me. GRRR ... That is why I do not go there unless I can find something and buy it outright.

As far as paying too much? What are your dreams worth? Is this something you really want to have and hold? Or is it just something that you can use. If the latter then look around. If the former you have a major problem trying to find another one if you lose the auction.

Just my experience ... YMMV

The Aerojet
 
O.K. as an example, I am replacing a few of my old Atlas switch machines with Circuitron Tortoise switch machines. The reality is I did not even go to Ebay to look for them as there are so few bargain's on the Tortoises there. However, for comparison, I did do a search, for this thread. 12 of them where listed for $179.89 in a couple places. ModelTrainStuff lists 12 for $169.99 almost $9.90 cheaper. Ebay shows a single Tortoise selling for $18.99 and Yankee Dabbler lists one for $17.99, a buck cheaper and Yankee Dabbler charges shipping per the actual costs, not some inflated cost, as many of the sellers on Ebay charge! This is only one example where I have found Ebay sellers to be higher than retail outlets are. Are there more? You bet there are.

I am not saying don't buy from Ebay, I am saying do your own due diligence, before you buy!

Is this really a problem? It has to be, because there are so many items for sale with higher prices than a person needs to spend. So, obviously these sellers are successful selling their items at these higher prices, otherwise they would reduce the prices they are asking!
 
I don't generally go to ebay for much, their terms of service are pretty bad. Usually, I like to save my money and buy most of the stuff I'm going to buy for the year at the trainshow/swap meet.

When I do buy things off ebay, it tends to be things that are relatively simple. Bits of track or turnouts. I rarely get anything more complicated than that off ebay. I've hit the point in my layout construction where I have an operating loop of track and some sidings, so I don't really need anything urgently at this point, so I can afford to wait, save money and buy from a hobbyshop. Sure, I don't save money like that, but once you've got the ability to run trains on the layout, the process slows way down anyways. I might as well invest my money in ensuring that there's a hobby shop available that deals in trains.

Also, for some things, it just makes sense to build your own or repurpose something else. One of the things I've learned from motorcycles is that sometimes you can get something that's just as good, but half the price, by buying something that sold for a different market. Just be mindful that it will really work for a different application.

As much as I'd like to use tortoise machines, I was able to get a whole mess of servos for the price of one. And yeah, they're probably not as nice and will be more work, but I was able to get enough to handle my entire module for a small fraction of the cost of one or two machines.
 
The Tortoise Switch machines where used as an example. Is my point being missed?
 
NP2626 said:
The Tortoise Switch machines where used as an example. Is my point being missed?
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I don't think so, my point was that you can do even better sometimes by switching out a particular option for something else.

If for some reason, you really need a particular item that eBay has, of course, you need to be mindful, you might wind up paying more for something that doesn't have any warranty protection. And, you might be better off buying in bulk from a reputable dealer rather than trying to scrounge up parts on eBay.
 
Just as some stores at outlet malls charge more than regular retail stores, so do some e-bay vendors. I rarely look at e-bay, mainly because I can access most of what I want from my usual suppliers, or have it hidden on a shelf. It boils down to being aware of the real cost of the product.
E-Bay Retailers are charging what the traffic will bear, just like anywhere else. Because of changes in fee structure, e-bay is more suited to retailers than to private sellers, so Mark's observation is more common.

Boris
 
What I'm getting at is, people are obviously willing to pay the high prices that these Ebay sellers are charging and the higher than necessary shipping they charge. My opinion is this is foolish and wondering why they would do this.
 
About the only things I buy on Ebay are those that I can't get anywhere else. For example: spare parts for, or even whole Mantua steam locomotives, or something similar. Will I pay more, especially for shipping? Depends on how badly I need/want something that I can't get at my LHS.
 
NP2626 said:
Be all of this as it may, it is the buyers responsibility to make certain they are not paying too much.
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The simple answer is the same as for buying anything. Yes. The only method to make sure you aren't paying to much, is to shop around. Unfortunately those both depend on their being sufficient of the same thing to compare. Doesn't always happen in a hobby. Quite often the reverse. All depends then on how important it is to you to have it, versus how long are you are prepared to wait for the same thing to come up again, hopefully cheaper.

Shipping charges are something different, especially since ebay started charging the seller their 10% Final Valuation Fee on both the amount the item sold for, plus the shipping charge. This was a 2 fold solution for ebay. Firstly it was supposed to discourage the practice of some sellers, who would advertise an item cheaply (because initially only that attracted the FV fee) and overcharge on the shipping (which didn't), thereby making more cash for the seller. The second, was as a means to increase the amount gained from each sale, by ebay, without increasing the FV percentage.

I, being at the bottom of the world, where we benefit from everyone's ., have noted though that there can still be some quite distinct differences between shipping charges from various places in the US. I assume that may be because of varying distances from shipper to main depots and how often the parcel may get handled in between.
 
NP2626 said:
What I'm getting at is, people are obviously willing to pay the high prices that these Ebay sellers are charging and the higher than necessary shipping they charge. My opinion is this is foolish and wondering why they would do this.
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Mark, I think it is "impulse buying" some people buy items they are looking for or want at the first place they see it available.

I have to admidt I have made impulse purchases when I was first starting out. Now I always take a few minutes to do internet searchers before buying, live and learn.
 
It's more than just "Impulse Buying" because these higher prices are so prevalent on Ebay. No, this higher price thing is here to stay as it appears to me that the sellers know eventually there higher priced items will sell! Like I've said; I've noticed this happening for around 10 or so years, now!
 
I guess it's like everything "it's hard to put a finger on why people do stupid things"

All I can do is try my best to make smart choices.
 
I comparison shop on everything. Even toilet paper. I have to squeeze a nickle until the buffalo craps in my hand.
Sometimes, an item is cheaper on Ebay, sometimes, it's cheaper at Amazon.
I check Walmart and Target, then I shop locally, in person.
I can tell you prices can be all over the place for the same, or similar items.
Also, shipping charges are all over, as well. I have found that larger, bilkier, lighter items are better purchased locally, because shipping will overcome any savings when buying them online.
 
I'm retired and on a fixed income, like I would guess most of us are here! I watch my pennies and because of this, it is why I have brought this thread up. In the end, this thread will make no difference. Things will go on like they have and the incessant changes, will be inevitable! I doubt that it is us retired folks who spend more money than they need to, to buy the fun stuff we buy! Obviously, there are many more people who don't squeeze the Buffalo tell the crap come out, like we do and they are the majority, today. You can lead a horse to water; but,...
 
NP2626 said:
What I'm getting at is, people are obviously willing to pay the high prices that these Ebay sellers are charging and the higher than necessary shipping they charge.
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Just because they are asking a price does not necessarily mean they are selling it.

I've had items I wanted to sell. I go on the Bay and find the same item listed by about 10 people. All 10 listings have no bids. I know then that I have to price mine lower or face the fact there is no market for my item.

I know what you are saying. I see folks shopping at Costco or Sam's, thinking they are getting a deal because they have to pay to walk in the front door. It ain't always so. As you've said, you have to research the cost of the item(s) for which you are shopping
 
JazzDad, Right now I don't have things for sale that I feel are worth anything, so don't have stuff for sale right now. I only have $20.00 in my paypal account so am not looking to buy anything now either.

"Just because they are asking a price does not necessarily mean they are selling it".

My "Dah", was in response to the above statement.
 
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I always compare the cost of the item as well as the shipping charges. Sellers really tick me off with the inflated charges.
Example: They will quote priority mail costs for an item that can be sent for the cost of a first class stamp - that's silly!

I used to sell lots of stuff on ebay, but lately I have not even tried - I dislike their "valuation" model.
When buying, I generally look for "free shipping" still figuring that the shipping costs are built into the price.
 
In the fashion industry, for several years now, they have begun to move to limited production runs in order to inflate the cost/value to the customers. This is for two reasons: unsold inventory and steep discounts eventually which cheapens the 'brand', and because modern production allows cheap and fast retooling to make numerous runs per month, even per week! Our models are now able to enjoy the same advantages.

This means, across the industries, that modern production will find new efficiencies that limit the numbers of any one model or issue of a popular item. This will drive up the price. When people demonstrate their willingness to pay steeper prices, it is also an indication that they will tolerate other inconveniences in order to get what they want. Why else do you suppose the best smart phones are suddenly well north of $1K?

Humans crave two things: novelty and social belonging. They want to be included in groups who share their values (and in the west, consumption is king), and they will spend a weekend camped in lines down city blocks to be among the first with the latest iPhone 'Phantastic". They want to be seen with a new tat, on the bus with the latest phone, or with two or more of their friends sharing the same 'tastes' in everything.

People who study marketing, which is really the psychology of consumption, have known for years that people who desire to own something will pony up even more to get what they want. The people who are the most successful, and long-lived, in sales know how to butter up their prospective customers. They also know how to part them from a few more dollars in things like warranties (insecurity, inability to afford replacement) and shipping.
 
Selector said:
In the fashion industry, for several years now, they have begun to move to limited production runs in order to inflate the cost/value to the customers. This is for two reasons: unsold inventory and steep discounts eventually which cheapens the 'brand', and because modern production allows cheap and fast retooling to make numerous runs per month, even per week! Our models are now able to enjoy the same advantages.

This means, across the industries, that modern production will find new efficiencies that limit the numbers of any one model or issue of a popular item. This will drive up the price. When people demonstrate their willingness to pay steeper prices, it is also an indication that they will tolerate other inconveniences in order to get what they want. Why else do you suppose the best smart phones are suddenly well north of $1K?

Humans crave two things: novelty and social belonging. They want to be included in groups who share their values (and in the west, consumption is king), and they will spend a weekend camped in lines down city blocks to be among the first with the latest iPhone 'Phantastic". They want to be seen with a new tat, on the bus with the latest phone, or with two or more of their friends sharing the same 'tastes' in everything.

People who study marketing, which is really the psychology of consumption, have known for years that people who desire to own something will pony up even more to get what they want. The people who are the most successful, and long-lived, in sales know how to butter up their prospective customers. They also know how to part them from a few more dollars in things like warranties (insecurity, inability to afford replacement) and shipping.
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This is a great point. It's rather unfortunate that modern economic theory values things based upon what people will pay rather than one what the items require to produce/increases in productivity. It ends to destabilize the entire economy as it encourages companies to overcharge customers and makes it virtually impossible for customers to know what the price should be.

So many products these days have prices that have little connection to what's on offer.

EDIT: As far as phone prices go, Apple's sales of the $1k iPhone have been terrible, because they're not worth anywhere near that much. I've got a much cheaper Nokia 8 that does more or less all the same stuff for like a third of the cost.
 
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