What is up with Ebay?


N

NP2626

Guest
I have bought and sold stiff on Ebay for a long time. Lately, everything I look at shows very little actually being bid on; or, even being viewed! To an extent, this is understandable as much of what is listed have starting prices exceeding the price you would pay at ModelTrainStuff; or, other retailers! I wonder if because of this, people are just not using Ebay much anymore? What I try to sell is stuff I just don't need; or, want, anymore. I know what the stuff is worth and generally I ask less than that price as I want to get rid of it.

Anyone have any opinions on what is going on? As far as the seasonality of selling model railroad items, I would think we would be near the peak for it, now.
 
Ebay is slowly becoming another retail outlet, instead of the online garage sale/auction site it started out as.
 
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.
 
If you take the time to review all of your costs from E-Bay when you sell something you will usually be paying 10% or more. Which is way above what it use to be. When the tax people figure out how to charge everyone on e-bay a sales tax e-bay will go away for sure. I don't think that it is to far away on that one.
Wayne
 
I very seldom by or sell anything on ebay. I will look there on rare occasions when I can find a particular item, and I will have to agree with you about the prices. I see very few real deals there. As you mentioned, you can get many of the items for model railroading from internet retailers for less. I have seen items that are commonly found at places like MB Klien bid up way over retail.
 
For someone like me who lives in Canada, between the exchange rate and the global shipping program buying anything from the US on ebay has become unrealistic.
 
The final valuation fee is 9.9% (I was told that by an ebay rep) but the main problem for sellers is that is charged on the total including the postage amount. Bad enough to get 10% (I think we can forget the .01% as a discount) off what you got for your item, but to be hit with it on what it cost you to ship it as well is b@#&*y rude. A fee increase you're having when you're not having an official fee increase. As far as ebay becoming just another retail outlet, that's being actively pushed by ebay. Of course also, now that PayPal is a "different" business, any increases there can no longer be attributed to ebay's influence. "None of our doing, they're nothing to do with us anymore".
 
Ebay used to be my "go to" place to get what I was looking for, be it Camping items for the trailer or Model RR parts. Lately I have found that you have to be very choosy in what you bid on. Several times I see multiple of the same item listed by the same seller at different prices but the shipping costs differ, so that in the end you ultimately pay the same price.
Other gripes I have; Canadian sellers listing in US$ and charging US$ for Canadian shipping rates (I am in Canada); the global Shipping Program is a scam; sellers charging sales tax but refusing to supply a government sales tax number; US and Canadian shipping charges are totally crazy (~$40 shipping on a $10 item when you can get it shipped from China for free).
I only go to ebay now when I can't get what I am after anyplace else.
I'm still trying to figure out why it costs more to ship from Ohio and Mass. to Ontario than it does from Florida and California.
 
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I've only made one sale on the Bay, and I'll never do it again.

Modelling stuff seems to be priced too high. Just yesterday, however, I bought some belts for my lawn mower. Cheaper than Amazon and waaaaaay cheaper than the retail John Deere shop.

You really have to shop around. For items to wear, you never know how they will fit, so that is a hit or miss game.
 
Buying on Ebay is as easy as falling off a log and yes, you should know what things are selling for and not pay to much. My problem is selling which also is as easy as falling off a log. In surveys I have done on items I think should be selling, their seems to be very little bidding going on. Yes, some of this is likely because the sellers are trying to sell things "Stupidly Over Priced"; however, I tend to think Ebay has maybe outlived it's usefulness. I have close to 300 transactions, both buying and selling and started using Ebay in 2002, activity was much more abundant then and almost every thing I listed back then sold and sold in one listing!
 
Retired Alex said:
Other gripes I have; Canadian sellers listing in US$ and charging US$ for Canadian shipping rates (I am in Canada);
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I'm also in Canada, and sell occasionally on the eBay US site .. and my listings and shipping are in US dollar ..

As an example, my last listing sold to a Canadian address, shipping was $12.74 US .. my actual Canada Post ship cost was $16.66 CDN ..no added costs for the bubble pack envelope or anything else ..
If you do the math, it's pretty close, except for the fees charged by eBay, and PayPal .. then it's a loss ..
especially since the items sold for $0.99 US :)
But I'm okay with that because I prefer to see those item used, rather than being tossed into the dumpster
 
I used to be an active seller on eBay. Not anymore. It just got too complex/risky/expensive. I do go there frequently as a buyer, mostly looking for electronic parts and supplies. I always specify the Buy It Now option. For what I'm looking for, I don't want to wait for an auction to end. I think its been about 5 years since I "won" an eBay auction. Based on what comes up when I search for an item, eBay should really rebrand itself as "China Direct". I really don't understand how some of the sellers can sell name brand parts, delivered to the US, for less than the cost of a US first class stamp. (Well, I really do but that's a whole 'nother discussion.)
 
O.K., for those who have given up on Ebay and are now selling on Craig's List, how is that going?
 
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I sold a $200 transformer or E-bay. They buyer broke it, removed the rivets and cracked it open, ruined it, told E-bay that it was "not as advertised". I received the ruined transformer and had to pay shipping both ways.
 
Mister Bill said:
I sold a $200 transformer or E-bay. They buyer broke it, removed the rivets and cracked it open, ruined it, told E-bay that it was "not as advertised". I received the ruined transformer and had to pay shipping both ways.
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The best way to protect yourself against that sort of fraudulent claim is to take photos of the item before packaging it up, as you are packaging it and of the package prior to shipping. Ebay and paypal always require photos from the buyer to support their claim. You can do the same to refute it. More work? Yes, but it only takes a few minutes, you could even take one of you handing it to the postal clerk if you do that. I know this is more hassle, but the world is full of liars.
 
I really don't understand how some of the sellers can sell name brand parts, delivered to the US, for less than the cost of a US first class stamp. (Well, I really do but that's a whole 'nother discussion.)
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I don't understand how they do that either, if you know, please tell us. I had the occasion to want to order more of an item than the 10+ indicated on the listing, so wrote to the seller asking if they could supply the number I wanted, they replied yes they could, so I asked for an invoice. Waited and waited. Then I noticed on their original reply that a picture of the item had a large number being available, so I just modified the quantity on the listing and paid BIN via Paypal. I got a reply back asking for more money for postage, so I (in my innocence/dumbness) wrote to ebay pointing out that if they can supply 1 item free postage and multiples are usually reduced postage, how come they want more. Ebay obviously agreed, because they got shipped at the base price 2 days later.
 
I have noticed that there seems to be a marked reduction in Ebay buyers. I suspect they are like me, only buying items that are hard to get, such as vintage locomotives etc.. I live in Canada too and I find the Global Shipping program an out and out scam. Other than postage, it does not cost anything more to ship something from Canada to the US, the declaration is free, all it takes is a little of my time to go to the post office to fill out the simple form. I suspect this is the same for USPS shipping to Canada. Also, I will not accept any shipment from a seller that ships via UPS to Canada, they also rip Canadians off with their so called export charges. It is bad enough that our dollar is worth a lot less than the USD., we have to put up with inflated shipping costs, these so called export fees and Ebay taking their cut from the total amount. I have some RC cars that I want to sell but I'm afraid I will simply join the hundreds of others that are getting no response from buyers on Ebay.

Mel
 
Oddly, I actually find that the Global Shipping program works to my favor out here, from the US anyway. Mostly seems to be a bit less than if the seller uses USPS international Priority themselves. Maybe the further you are away the better. Our dollar's much on a par with Canada's now, could try ebay.com.au:rolleyes:
 
My first post after registering. Just stumbled into this site when looking for ideas for painting and weathering the Walthers ADM Grain elevator.

Back to eBay. I've noticed that listing after listing for model railroad items has precisely the same items for sale. Something funny going on. I agree with other posters, eBay is digging it's own grave.
 
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