What is up with Ebay?


I only buy on eBay. I switched scales the other year and had twenty years worth of N scale things to get rid of. I couldn't sell two relatively rare locomotives because one seller was double the retail price and another was at dealer cost. I asked for a fair BIN price and had a bid auction. The auction only got low ball bids (max $30 for a DCC NIB locomotive). I lost $3 per listing on the minimum fee. I am fortunate to live in a train oriented region of the country. I found a small train shop who gave me a decent price without shipping costs. I would rather have sold direct to someone who would use the stuff and save them retail price too. But no such usable (IMHO) system exists. Selling directly on forums is a bit scary especially when you are asking $500 or a $1000. I like the protection of using PayPal.

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I stopped buying on Ebay due primarily to lousy sellers. Overpriced items, way too much shipping costs and sketchy behavior like taking photos at angles to hide damage.
 
I stopped buying on Ebay due primarily to lousy sellers. Overpriced items, way too much shipping costs and sketchy behavior like taking photos at angles to hide damage.

I don't buy from lousy sellers, nor do I buy overpriced items; or, pay to much for shipping costs. I don't find sellers trying to pass off junk; or, broken items as the feed back process will bite them in the butt! All the sellers I have dealt with want positive feed back performance.

It is certainly your choice to not buy; or, sell on Ebay and I agree with you that too much of the things offered are priced at; or, higher than retail. That things are too high priced is proven by the fact that a lot of stuff offered on Ebay never receives a bid. So, I don't buy these items. I shop around, and do find good deals can still be found on Ebay!
 
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It's ok if I need a pak of HO 15" sectional in a quick hurry. Other than that I avoid it. The last little hobby store in the area is now kaput so there really are not many options left around here for MRR equipment. Scenery supplies can be had at Hobby Lobby and Michaels, places like that but for the dedicated MRR stuff like couplers and even rolling stock it's seasonal at best and non existent usually.
 
It's ok if I need a pak of HO 15" sectional in a quick hurry. Other than that I avoid it. The last little hobby store in the area is now kaput so there really are not many options left around here for MRR equipment. Scenery supplies can be had at Hobby Lobby and Michaels, places like that but for the dedicated MRR stuff like couplers and even rolling stock it's seasonal at best and non existent usually.

The last little local hobby shop going kaput is all to often the story, lately. It is one reason I continue to use Ebay.
 
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The last little local hobby shop going kaput is all to often the story, lately. It is one reason I continue to use Ebay.

I was SO bummed! I thought I could count on at least being able to get couplers, washers, ballast and that kind of thing. I pretty much cleaned em out of cork and I bought every HO piece of rolling stock they had, kits included, TWICE! It was a very handy "go-to" for emergencies and I had been ordering stuff, trying to help em but I can't carry a store by myself, no way. I wonder where the local club gets supplies? Probably thirty miles away in one or more directions there ARE some pretty good shops but I don't get that far out of town on a regular basis and I might as well order online.
 
I will go to ebay as a last resort if I can't find what I need elsewhere. I find that in a lot of cases items can be bid up to above retail price plus there is a lot of junk to wade through to find good items. The last time I got anything from ebay was just because I had exhausted all of the internet retailers and Walthers and did manage to get what I needed to kitbash into exactly what I wanted. I did find this crane with what could be an electro magnet but it came with tracked tires, which wouldn't be very good in a salvage yard. I had see different ones posted and bid, and lost a few times as I wasn't going to pay very much for it. Finally won it for $16. I then was ably to find a really cheap modern excavator with tracks that I got for around $7. The shipping was reasonable for both and built this crane. Bonus time. The one I won was lettered for the Northern Pacific.

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Having just gotten back into model railroading after a decade absent, I've purchased a number of times on eBay just getting caught up. I only buy from dealers with 100% approval and haven't had a single issue in probably 30 or so purchases.
 
I have an inventory of everything I bought up to now.....EVERYTHING
If I need something, I'll check on Ebay, if the cost and shipping is less than what I paid earlier, I'll buy, but it's very rare.
So basically, all I purchase on Ebay are electronic stuff sold from China, sure lots of it is cheap, but it works and NO shipping, That is good for us Canadian that have to deal with exchange rate and customs.

Like most, if it's to expensive, I don't buy and if I'm really really desperate, than what the heck, I'll buy...lol
 
One other reason that I find Ebay helpful and convenient, is that my nearest hobby shop is now more than 90 miles away and my nearest good hobby shop is 180 miles away! This makes shopping online the standard method of shopping. I know what shipping to my place costs from ModelTrainStuff; or, Walthers. So, if I find something on Ebay that I like and the price is better than MTS; or, Walthers and the shipping is O.K., I have no problem pulling the trigger. Much of the stuff I buy off Ebay is things that are no longer available at your local hobby shop of MTS/Walthers!
 
Right now, December 23rd, there are fantastic deals on most rolling stock at Ebay. I found six un-built freight car kits kits for a Buy it Now price of $12.99, without takers! I also found five Standard Santa Fe Passenger cars for $10.95! I know if I was to go through all of Athearns list on Ebay, I would find many, many other fantastic deals, without bids! Other producers of freight and passenger cars kits are in the same situation! This punctuates my opinion that either Ebay is failing; or, people buying there only want pre-built rolling stock, unsure of which!

However, when I go through the first page of 50 each Walthers freight cars, which so happened to have been all pre-built cars, not a single product had a bid on it! Possibly sales are slow today with Christmas on our door step, i don't know.

My point is; from a statistical standpoint, I would be fearful of the future, if I were one of the principals of Ebay!
 
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Sound like you made a pretty good score there. Once in a while you'll come across a deal like that. M+Now may be the time with many people busy with Christmas shopping and other holiday functions.
 
Sound like you made a pretty good score there. Once in a while you'll come across a deal like that. M+Now may be the time with many people busy with Christmas shopping and other holiday functions.

I didn't buy anything, just mentioning what I found.
 
Ebay, easy to slam, easy to say you don't like it for one reason or another. I have been an Ebay seller and buyer since they 1st started. From my experience there is nothing better than Ebay for both selling and shopping. I get some of the best deals on many things, things you cant buy locally, things you can also, but I don't want to pay double. I could go on and on about how good Ebay is as both a seller and buyer. I work for a company, USA based , small company say 2 Mil a year in sales, 8 employees, 85% of there sales come from Ebay. There is no better way to sell for this business. The world can buy from us, The cost to sell might be considered high to some but if you do it correctly its not and its advertising included. Ebay does all kinds of stuff to promote sellers. I cant list all my points here, but Ebay sales are fine. My son and I do photography as a hobby, we buy and sell old and new cameras so we can play with different ones, once again nothing beats Ebay for this kind of endeavor. I just recently wanted a GG-1 HO Engine, Local hobby shops, a little more money, I am okay paying 10% more to support local, but guess what, they barely have any trains, they have no interest in ordering them, The local train shops here seem to be run by Retired folks which is fine, but if you don't want something from the small selection they might have, good luck, heck one train shop I have purchased odds and ends from over the years is only open 3 days a week and its almost impossible for me to get there during there 11 to 4:30 open times, since I work for a living :) I have to say thank goodness for Ebay. And remember never shop or even consider selling on Amazon, they will take you for all they can, and if your successful they will copy you with overseas imports and kill your business and talk about high cost of selling there is no higher than Amazon. Okay, I feel better, Flaps / Chris

I guess I would agree. The problem is for Ebay that nothing is selling and they only make money, if stuff sells. To me it really looks like most of the sellers on Ebay are only looking for people willing to pay to much for the item they have for sale. I would think Ebay won't last to long, the way things are.
 
You can find some good deals on ebay but you do have to do some looking. Where I live we have no hobby shops. The closest decent model railroad is Caboose Hobbies, over 700 miles from me. Until internet retailers came on the scene I did search on ebay and was able to get a few items, but in many cases items were in some cases junk and some were over priced, or bid to prices above retail.

When I started my layout, I was hand laying code 70 rail and turnouts. Part way into the construction, my Kadee spike gun died for about the 6th time and was beyond repair si I was using Shinohara code 70 flex track and turnouts. Ther was a period of time when I couldn't find any code 70 supplies. Did see some on ebay but refused to pay what the price was bid up to. Finally MB Klein and a couple of other internet retailers were finally stocking it. Their prices for the most part was excellent compared to the crazy prices that I saw on ebay. Most of the time ebay prices were above retail by quite a bit. I realize that this is one particular item, but as I mentioned to mark about the passenger cars he found (and didn't buy), you can come up with a decent deal if you search and don't go crazy bidding on items.

I have also seen quite a few items being sold at full retail price for some model railroad items that can be had at internet retailers for a savings. I guess that bidding up the prices are good for the sellers, but not so for buyers.

I have seen quite a number of posts from folks who weren't quite happy with the items they bought on ebay also. Anywhere from some parts being broken or locomotives not working properly. You have to watch the seller reviews carefully. With all of the resources on the internet, ebay is the place of last resort.
 
You are correct, just like any shopping, you need to know the prices and check on sellers score to see if there a solid honest seller, then also make sure they don't hit you hard on shipping.

That said its taking me more time trying to learn the train history on my GG-1 PRR quest that it was to find some amazing deals on Ebay for the cars I wanted. That said my son and I shop for Camera Stuff, Die-cast and now trains, so far I have made 7 purchases, all Ebay and all the best price shipped I could find on what I wanted.

Flaps / Chris

You can find some good deals on ebay but you do have to do some looking. Where I live we have no hobby shops. The closest decent model railroad is Caboose Hobbies, over 700 miles from me. Until internet retailers came on the scene I did search on ebay and was able to get a few items, but in many cases items were in some cases junk and some were over priced, or bid to prices above retail.

When I started my layout, I was hand laying code 70 rail and turnouts. Part way into the construction, my Kadee spike gun died for about the 6th time and was beyond repair si I was using Shinohara code 70 flex track and turnouts. Ther was a period of time when I couldn't find any code 70 supplies. Did see some on ebay but refused to pay what the price was bid up to. Finally MB Klein and a couple of other internet retailers were finally stocking it. Their prices for the most part was excellent compared to the crazy prices that I saw on ebay. Most of the time ebay prices were above retail by quite a bit. I realize that this is one particular item, but as I mentioned to mark about the passenger cars he found (and didn't buy), you can come up with a decent deal if you search and don't go crazy bidding on items.

I have also seen quite a few items being sold at full retail price for some model railroad items that can be had at internet retailers for a savings. I guess that bidding up the prices are good for the sellers, but not so for buyers.

I have seen quite a number of posts from folks who weren't quite happy with the items they bought on ebay also. Anywhere from some parts being broken or locomotives not working properly. You have to watch the seller reviews carefully. With all of the resources on the internet, ebay is the place of last resort.
 
I have close to 300 transactions on Ebay, probably about 50/50 as far as buying; or, selling. I don't know if I've been lucky; or, I just pay close enough attention. However, I have never bought something that wasn't what I expected it to be. I have had one person completely rip me off, as they never sent what I'd bought. Then they where very quick to accuse me of trying to rip them off! This would never have happened now that Pay Pal is my preferred way of doing bidness on Ebay. I had one person who bought a Precision Scale Shay from me who I attempted to coax into buying insurance for the shipment. He didn't and naturally the item was damaged somehow when he got it. Then he told me that there wasn't shipping damage and that the Shay had damage previous to my shipping, which I knew was not true.

So, what I'm getting at is; I've found for the most part, Ebay buyers and sellers are honest, at least the vast majority of the ones I've dealt with are!

I started this thread because I think Ebay has lost it's way! Someone previous said that Ebay used to be like a Garage Sale. It no longer is. To many sellers are actual retail outlets attempting to sell items at retail; or, even higher. I think this fact has chased buyers away and that is why many great prices on things go without bids as people just don't go to Ebay anymore! Many people who have responded here have stated that they really don't use Ebay anymore, for what ever reason!
 
We are kind of in agreement, accept I still sell all kinds of odds and ends on ebay with good sales and I find tons of stuff on there that I want at some of the best prices I can find, its not as easy as it used to be for purchasing and finding the deals or rare items , but its still there. Funny story my son love Jet, so I tried Jet, its the closest thing to Ebay , it is lousy, very lacking in fun stuff and prices are yucko.

Anyway happy holidays to all, I am off the to the only so - so local hobby shop just for fun to see what they gots. Flaps / Chris
 



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