ebay

[portagepan]

Just a note here. I have been caught up by a growing problem, if you buy any parts on ebay. Make darn sure you know the shipping costs before you bid. Quite a few individuals are using the "contact seller" for shipping as a way to inflate the purchase price of parts they are selling. Especially the cheaper ones. This is a rampant scam anymore. Also, on the lower priced items, at least, do not think you have ANY protection when you buy something that is damaged, not as represented, or never delivered. Pay pal buyer protection is a BAD joke on you. I went to the swap meet in Lima last Sunday, and got some good parts, that I could examine before I got them. That's the way it ought to be. Ebay is useful, and necessary in today's world, but it will never replace good old horse tradin'.
Mike

[Lonnie]

I've both bought and sold on Ebay for the last seven years and I would definitely agree that there is no substitute for a close physical examination prior to the purchase. But you can protect yourself in several ways:

1> Always reference the seller's feedback PRIOR to bidding. And READ the feedback comments. Sometimes the context of the comment is as telling as the rating itself since feedback is often held hostage - the seller won't give the buyer feedback until the buyer rates the seller. So, to avoid neg. feedback many folks always just give Pos. feedback. Read between the lines, so to speak!!
2> Ask questions prior to bidding, allowing enough time to get a response. Ask for more photos if you want to see more detail. You can bet that if you aren't satisfied with the answers the seller gives you, you sure won't be satisfied with the part!!
3> Be aware that shipping is expensive, especially since the USPS (U.S. Postal Service) raised the rates in January '07. Shipping, even with Flat Rate Priority Mail, is often 50% - 200% higher than it was in 2006. And the USPS will now be giving annual increases, though the overal increase is limited to the CPI (consumer price index) cost of living rate. Bank on increases somewhere around 3% per year.
UPS and FedEx have similar rates and often impose increases in excess of 4.5% each year! They also have fuel cost surcharges and UPS has an extra surcharge for both Residential and Rural deliveries.
4> In calculating shipping costs, you can reference the handy worksheets on both the USPS and UPS websites. All you need to calculate the actual shipping costs are the weight of the package and the delivery and destination zipcodes. Since we have a good idea (or should know) about what the item weighs and can guess at what the packaging would weigh, it is possible to come close on the cost EXCEPT that you must remember that packing materials are not free and fuel costs to get to the UPS store or the post office are not free either, expecially with gas over $3.00 per gallon!
5> Using PayPal has been advantageous as I have had three instances where I've filed a claim, all of which were resolved in my favor. There is a procedure to follow and if you do you should come out okay, though it can take awhile. It's like anything else, though. In spite of your best intentions, you could end up getting screwed. I've bought misrepresented items at a swapmeet just as I have on Ebay!
6> I know of no seller that will take a personal check but all will take a money order. Use a USPS MO which is easily traceable and since you are using the USPS there are steps you can take if defrauded.
7> Don't get carried away in the bidding process. Figure out what you would pay for the part as described, allow a reasonable amount for the shipping. Then bid to that amount and stop if the part goes over your price! Odds are there is another part like it that will soon appear on Ebay later. In many cases, though, you will find that if you can attend a big swapmeet that you will find better deals, even with the "Ebay effect" on swapmeet prices.
8> Lastly, remember this - If in doubt, don't"!

Lonnie C. from SC

[exeric]

Great advice Lonnie. Auction fever is difficult to avoid when it's a part you've spent a long time looking for. However, you have to set a price limit and stick to it. Except for the rarest of parts, most things are much more common than we think and another one will come up for auction. Support your local swap meet !

[portagepan]

Well, I know my stuff, and I say paypal is a sham! I bought an item that had hidden damage in the listing pictures, and I emailed the seller specifically about it, and have that saved, and he told me it was fine. Paypal's solution was for me to send it back, at my expense, and wait for a possible partial refund. Since it was heavy, it would have cost me more than it was worth to send it back. And then let the crook who sold it to me figure out if he would refund something to me? So let's see: I got ripped off when I bought it, and paypal's solution was for me to get ripped off some more? Caveat emptor!
Mike

[Perry Ruiter]

What I've often found on eBay is if some part goes for crazy money, a week later two or three more pop up, as people say if it's worth that then I'll sell it. Usually you get a much better deal on this "second wave". If shipping to Canada use USPS (post office) or FedEx. UPS mugs us with a (minimum) $30 brokerage fee for moving the package across the border. Don't over declare the value (some people do that thinking, I guess, they're doing a favour in case it gets lost). We pay tax (varies by region, but figure 14%) on anything over around $20 declared ... Perry