Clementine's guide to buying stuff on eBay
Clementine the cat often buys things on eBay - it can be a really great place, but there are some things you should watch out for so you can get the best out of eBay. |
Buying cars
Most Renault 4s in the UK are advertised on eBay, and it's a great place to buy and sell these cars, but be careful. The newest Renault 4 in the UK is now 20 years old, and these cars aren't all that resistant to rust. However some have survived in good condition and are worth buying.
Treat eBay as if it was any other form of advertising. You wouldn't buy a car from the local newspaper without first going to see it, but you'd be amazed at how many people buy cars from eBay on the basis of a few photographs. Go to see the car before bidding. If it's a good one you might try to but it. If it's a bad one then avoid it.
Bidding strategy
You'll have heard of clever programs that bid in the last few seconds. Forget them. Instead bid the maximum you are prepared to pay and then walk away. I bought a handbook a few months ago. The starting bid was £0.01. I decided I would be happy to pay £10 and placed a bid for that amount. eBay's bidding system placed a bid for me of £0.01. Nobody else bid so that's what I ended up paying. The bid will only go to your maximum if other people bid against you.
Auctions are scary things. If someone bids higher than you it's all too tempting to place a higher bid. Don't do it! Work out what your absolute maximum bid would be and bid that much. If someone else bids more than the item is worth then forget it - they are bidding too much.
Buyer Protection
eBay is a pretty safe place to buy things because of it's reputation system for sellers. Many eBay sellers do the job professionally, and a single negative reputation could ruin their business. The seller's reputation is posted beside their name. Positive feedback of 100% is normal - that means they are honest, and any problems have been quickly sorted out. If they have a reputation is less than 100% then click on the number beside their username to see what other buyers have been saying about them.
You have further protection if you can pay by paypal and/or by credit card. You can claim back money using either of these payment methods if things go wrong.