Taking a beating on EBAY lately

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The classic car forum I am on has a member over there that actually was a part of a group that planned to start up a hot new auction site. Big enough to the point that repeat threatens from the Ebay people about legal crap this and legal that about what they were trying to do. None of which would have held up in court as they didnt do anything to copy any sort of ebay practices. The entire thing was legal. They had everything in place to launch this thing and I understand it was going to be huge. When Ebay starts shaking, perhaps your on to something IMO. Well, when the economy went south they unfortunatly had to halt everything. It sounded to me like it was a major undertaking to start with involving months, maybe years of work to get to that point.

I wish there was a big shot coorperation or Bill Gates type individual out there that has the capacity to launch a auction site as big as ebay. The problem with ebay is, it can do whatever it want because they dont have another competitor big enough to make then say, uh oh.
 
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If you're selling HO things, the Yahoo group HOYardSale is not a bad alternative. You take a little more risk because the members aren't screened and there's no formal feedback system but other members jump on flakes pretty fast. Amazon's auction site is a better deal in terms of charges but, as of yet, it doesn't have anywhere near the volume of hits that e-bay has. The big advantage of e-bay is still the best selection for buyers and the best exposure for sellers. They can be a real pain sometimes but I think we're still better off with them than nothing. I've been able to pick up some great deals on everything from trains to paramedic supplies. As long as you know what you want, know what you want to pay, and don't get caught up in bidding wars, it's still a pretty good place.
 
eBid is an alternative, but lacks quantity, Still some good prices. HOYS members seem to think their engines are made of platinum or something. Some good deals but they are few.

Bob
 


Don't worry about it...no problem here....I apoligize for turning the thread into what it was....i was just trying to warn others about what happened to me.


tankist said:
ST, buddy. don't get me wrong. last thing i wanted to do is offend you. it always upsets me to hear of people who got cought up in the corporate and government cog teeth of bureaucracy. they are faceless, always turning, always ready to suck in those unexpecting. but then it is our responsibility to steer away from theese. no one is going to help you other then yourself. think 2 steps ahead, take care of yourself.
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Have you noticed lately that the starting bids are way out of reach. They aren't getting any bids either. I checked EBay late last nite & there were at least 50 items w/no bids that were in the short time sales. I haven't bought anything for about a month. Wife took my Credit card away(boo-hoo). LOL
I have way to many engines now. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not buying. I was selling a lot of older engines to friends & now I've got to many again. EBay fever is worse than the flu fever!! Don't need anything except a lot of scenery material & you hardly ever see that stuff on EBay unless it's way over the hobby shop price. Saw some engines go for twice the price as Walthers gets the other nite. People are nuts. The economy is good when you see what people are paying for old stock & brass.
 
Maybe the sellers think that those engines are made of platinum. Sure seems like it. HOYS is about the same.

The brass engines and cars have been going up for the past 2-3 months. I did get a couple of OMI steam engines pretty reasonable lately, a tad more than I'd hoped to pay. But all in all, prices are out of sight.

I've been trying to pick up a couple of Monon P2K BL2's to renumber to finish out the stable(#30-#39 the model comes numbered #36) and a couple of C&O BL2's to add to that line. But, I can't believe what they are selling for. And, unfortunately, the frames/trucks are unique to the model from what I can determine. That rules out "bashing" one out. I've even tried to buy an "off" road and a decorated or undecorated shell and go from there. That ain't even happenin'. Priced right out of my budget. Guess I'll wait for the shows and pick some up on the cheap.

Bob
 
Bob,
All of the train shows in my area are cranking up in Nov. so, I'm giving them a shot instead of relying on EBay for those good buys. I'm usually pretty lucky at train shows. I try to get to the Club train tables first. Threre's a lot to chose from usually because most of them are DCC & they don't mess w/changing the older stuff from straight DC. I've also got some great buys on items that won't stay on the rails because of bad wheels or bad coupler mounts in rolling stock.
A lot of the older guys(older than me) are getting out of trains because of health reasons & they almost give their stuff away. It's hard to beleive that a guy in his late 70's or early 80's will get out of HO & go to N.
 
nothing wrong with high starting price. it is simply the least amount seller willing to let go. much more stupid is when starting bid is low, but then there is a reserve. it is a right of a seller to ask as much as he lke for his property. will he sell it, it is another question.

much more stupid IMHO is the chums that start bid war 6 days(!!!) before the auction end.
 
tankist said:
nothing wrong with high starting price. it is simply the least amount seller willing to let go. much more stupid is when starting bid is low, but then there is a reserve. it is a right of a seller to ask as much as he lke for his property. will he sell it, it is another question.

much more stupid IMHO is the chums that start bid war 6 days(!!!) before the auction end.
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I like the short(1hr. or less)bid periods. Also like the Instant Bid button. Sometimes I get them in the last 2 or 3 seconds & sometimes not. LOL
I see some people w/a high bid right at the 7 day start. CRAZY. Then the item gets way over retail at the going rate.
I think EBay should stop the people that wait till they get about 10 bids & then put that little "Bid not Met" item up.
 
Larry, guys older than you? I thought you were right behind Methuselah in the age race....

I'm itchin' for a good show. I've been savin', for six months, 'ceptin' for a fewf buys I've made. The OMI engines and a P2K Wabash F-7A and B units and a Bachmann Plus F-3A I sniped. I can't complain about gettin' any of those, other than I paid $20 more than I wanted on one of the OMI's. I guess the deals I got on the other engines balanced everything out.

I'm itchin' for a good show, though. It's been some time since I've been able to attend a really good one. Been to a few that I'd rate as "fair", but they had way too much TYCO, Model Power, and LifeLike for my tastes. And not many deals that you would brag about.

Schemin' on a couple of PRR and NYC early diesel engines on eBay now. Got 'em on the "watch list". But, they have quite few days left, so they will probably soar past what I'm willing to pay. That's been the routine as of late. Watch 'em for 6 1/2 days and delete them with a few hours left.

I had an engine, a P2K PRR E8, I bought a few months ago on eBay that was advertised as NIOB(New in Open Box). When I got it, the wheels showed a ton of wear. I lodged a complaint. Got my money back, except for shipping, and the guy said to keep the engine. Cool deal, and I didn't complain about that. It is now head end power for one of my passenger trains. Runs like a turpentined cat.( you are old enough I added a powered E8B and it really looks good. I've always had a fondness for a good looking passenger train. Any good looking consist really. Heck, I love trains PERIOD!!!!

I snipe all of the time. If I don't win, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing the winner had to pay more. But, I do win more than I lose at that game.



Bob
 


Ok i am spooked now how do you go to paypal and set it up to pay manually intead of automatically ? dont need no $40 overdrafts in case i goof and dont stay on top of whats in the account here.
 
redwine_P said:
Ok i am spooked now how do you go to paypal and set it up to pay manually intead of automatically ? dont need no $40 overdrafts in case i goof and dont stay on top of whats in the account here.
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its done through ebay not pat pal. Not sure how ya go about changen it now days, ya may just have to contact them.
 
Ok i am spooked now how do you go to paypal and set it up to pay manually intead of automatically ? dont need no $40 overdrafts in case i goof and dont stay on top of whats in the account here.
 
When I set up my PayPal they wanted me to also put my bank acct. w/the acct. I said no & still say no when it comes up. If you don't have a Credit card you can't start a PayPal acct. If your credit card limit is low, then you need to get it changed to whatever you think your maximum might be in a month of buying. But, you need to pay the full amt. of your credit card every month & don't ever carry a balance because if you have to make payments & pay a high interest you shouldn't buy on EBay because your defeating the purpose of a good bid. Just my thoughts.
 
I head so many horrific story on ebay, However i do use paypal so i dont need to show my credit card infos to buy on onlie shop,but personally i do think that a seller is serious when he take time to make a website of his own and keep it updated with stock infos and all.
 
On a similar note I was looking at a set of cars on the bay when I noticed the sellers little message:

"THIS MAY BE IN THE WAREHOUSE & TAKE 10 DAYS TO SHIP!
SOME ITEMS ARE LESS ACCESSIBLE, THEREFORE SOME QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED BEYOND WHAT MIGHT SHOW HERE.
DUE TO RECENT NON PAYING BIDDERS AND THOSE WHO JUST BUY BEFORE THEY READ THERE'S UP TO A 7 DAY PERIOD BEFORE ANY SHIPPMENT IS MADE.
IF IT IS AN ITEM I CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE AND NEED TO GET FROM MY WAREHOUSE OR SUPPLIER I WILL NOT DO SO UNTIL AFTER THE PAYMENT IS MADE.
USA ONLY BIDDERS AND ONLY PAYPAL WILL BE ACCEPTED!!
EVERYTHING IS BRAND NEW IN THE ORIGINAL PACKING UNLESS STATED.
WITH PAYPAL'S SELLER PROTECTION POLICES I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DECLINE THE PAYMENT FROM THOSE WISHING TO USE A NON-CONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS.
THE PAYMENTS ARE TO BE MADE WITHIN 5 DAYS OR AT LEAST AN EMAIL FROM YOU WITHIN THAT FVIE DAYS. AFTER THE 5 DAYS I MAY REQUEST A FINAL FEE REFUND FROM EBAY."

Sounds to me like another so called "ebay shop" who's showroom is the Walthers catologue?
Think I'll pass on this one!
 
Rico said:
On a similar note I was looking at a set of cars on the bay when I noticed the sellers little message:

"THIS MAY BE IN THE WAREHOUSE & TAKE 10 DAYS TO SHIP!
SOME ITEMS ARE LESS ACCESSIBLE, THEREFORE SOME QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED BEYOND WHAT MIGHT SHOW HERE.
DUE TO RECENT NON PAYING BIDDERS AND THOSE WHO JUST BUY BEFORE THEY READ THERE'S UP TO A 7 DAY PERIOD BEFORE ANY SHIPPMENT IS MADE.
IF IT IS AN ITEM I CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE AND NEED TO GET FROM MY WAREHOUSE OR SUPPLIER I WILL NOT DO SO UNTIL AFTER THE PAYMENT IS MADE.
USA ONLY BIDDERS AND ONLY PAYPAL WILL BE ACCEPTED!!
EVERYTHING IS BRAND NEW IN THE ORIGINAL PACKING UNLESS STATED.
WITH PAYPAL'S SELLER PROTECTION POLICES I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DECLINE THE PAYMENT FROM THOSE WISHING TO USE A NON-CONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS.
THE PAYMENTS ARE TO BE MADE WITHIN 5 DAYS OR AT LEAST AN EMAIL FROM YOU WITHIN THAT FVIE DAYS. AFTER THE 5 DAYS I MAY REQUEST A FINAL FEE REFUND FROM EBAY."

Sounds to me like another so called "ebay shop" who's showroom is the Walthers catologue?
Think I'll pass on this one!
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I see messages like this & I go elsewhere.
 


I was bidding on a Rail Crane last week & the bids got way over my budget. About 12 hrs. later I got a second chance offer to buy it at my last bid which I did.
What is a second chance buy?
 
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