4 ms·

I only sell on ebay rarely, but I buy stuff all the time, big, small, expensive, foreign and domestic, from big sellers (lots of feedback) and new ones. I have

I only sell on ebay rarely, but I buy stuff all the time, big, small, expensive, foreign and domestic, from big sellers (lots of feedback) and new ones. I have never had any problems, some times I am disappointed by the cheap junk I buy from China, but generally I am quite satisfied. I have had to request a refund once or twice because something was not as described, but I don't think I have ever had to escalate to ebay or PayPal on anything. All this being said, anecdotes aren't data, and I worry every time I read an article like this that I am going to get burned bad one day.

massysett 10y ago
That's the whole point. Ebay bends over for buyers but doesn't care if sellers get scammed. Since they haven't run out of sellers, it works.
ridgeguy 10y ago
I've also had mostly good experiences on eBay as a buyer, but a couple of very bad ones as a seller. eBay's seller protections are non-existent, and I no longer use eBay for equipment sales. I do local sales (CraigsList or personal connections) or donate it to an appropriate 501(c)(3) for the write off.
ryandrake 10y ago
As a buyer, eBay is great. Where else can you buy a $0.25 component from china, put it on a credit card, AND get free shipping? I've only had one bad buyer experience on eBay and it was not their fault--someone inside the USPS opened my package, replaced the expensive item with a heavy book, and forwarded it along. The seller (who I continue to do business with) was very accommodating and made good even though he didn't have to. On the other hand I would never sell on eBay due to all the scammers. Props to these brave souls who continue to sell there.
- oomkiller 10y ago
  AliExpress works great for this, the shipping can be a bit slow sometimes though. I like to buy random fun looking things on there and try to guess what I ordered when it finally arrives. Things are so cheap.

massysett 10y ago

That's the whole point. Ebay bends over for buyers but doesn't care if sellers get scammed. Since they haven't run out of sellers, it works.

ridgeguy 10y ago

I've also had mostly good experiences on eBay as a buyer, but a couple of very bad ones as a seller. eBay's seller protections are non-existent, and I no longer use eBay for equipment sales. I do local sales (CraigsList or personal connections) or donate it to an appropriate 501(c)(3) for the write off.

ryandrake 10y ago

As a buyer, eBay is great. Where else can you buy a $0.25 component from china, put it on a credit card, AND get free shipping? I've only had one bad buyer experience on eBay and it was not their fault--someone inside the USPS opened my package, replaced the expensive item with a heavy book, and forwarded it along. The seller (who I continue to do business with) was very accommodating and made good even though he didn't have to. On the other hand I would never sell on eBay due to all the scammers. Props to these brave souls who continue to sell there.

oomkiller 10y ago
AliExpress works great for this, the shipping can be a bit slow sometimes though. I like to buy random fun looking things on there and try to guess what I ordered when it finally arrives. Things are so cheap.