Auctions by eBay.com
By now, I think most people understand or have personally experienced the online auction phenomenon. I never thought about writing a review about it since I literally visit their site dozens of times a day and it’s just become second nature to me… but I figured that there might still be Internet users out there that would like to hear my .02 worth about my experiences on the site, both as a buyer and a seller.
So anyhow, we’re talking about eBay here.
Millions of searchable items listed in hundreds of different categories in an auction format with auctions closing even as I type. If it’s allowed to be sold legally in the USA (and there are different eBay sites for different countries as well), then odds are that you’ll find it at one time or another online. People offer to sell everything from brand new items in stores that you can go out and buy today to some obscure Cracker Jack toy that was included in the package back in the 70’s. You can even find literal one of a kind items and now you can even bid to purchase homes and automobiles.
I’ve been an eBay user since March 18, 1999 and I’ve completed 2050+ transactions to date. And very happily, I have yet to receive a negative feedback. Primarily I deal with rock ‘n’ roll CDs, stickers, & sports collectibles, but I’ve bought and sold a little bit of everything. For the most part, I’ve found the people I’ve dealt with to be honest and have good intentions – but as you can expect, there are those who will try to rip you off.
eBay’s reputation is built on the satisfaction of its buyers and sellers via feedback left by each buyer or seller. When looking at auction listings, you’ll see a seller or bidder’s user name, and afterwards you will see a number. This is the number of positive feedbacks a person has from individual eBay users. In other words, if you see “foretwenty-mouthshut (10)”, that means that person has completed transactions with at least 10 different users successfully and they have left positive feedback. Each positive feedback counts as 1 point, a neutral feedback counts as 0, and a negative feedback counts as -1 point against your rating. If you purchase 500 items from one person, it will only add one point to your overall score since it does measure each transaction with each individual person. You may notice that some users have tens of thousands of feedbacks from their online businesses on eBay!
As a seller, I offer a 100% money back guarantee if my item isn’t exactly as it’s described to be when the winning bidder receives it. Not everyone offers that same guarantee, but you can use feedback ratings as a good gauge of establishing someone’s reputability. You should always read the description of the item completely (including the shipping and handling costs) because you might end up bidding on something poorly described that you really don’t want by mistake! Keep in mind that once you confirm your bid, you have entered a binding contract. If you do not complete the transaction your account may be suspended after repeated abuse by eBay.
I package all items securely and don’t try to cut corners to save money on shipping. (If it’s harder to open than a Christmas gift, then odds are you’ve packaged it properly.) I always strive to provide a picture of the item and a good quality description since I know that while a picture says 1000 words, people want to know what condition the item is in.
As a common rule of practice, I don’t bid on high ticket items that are condition sensitive unless there is a picture and a description that I’m satisfied with. If I have any questions, I try to make sure to e-mail the seller well in advance since I know that it could take the seller time to respond back to me and I want them to answer so that I can bid…
Anyhow, hope this helps someone and may you find everything you weren’t looking for ;)