Well! I never thought I’d see the day! Me? Using an auction site? Hmmm, well to be fair I was sort of tempted into it by my boyfriend who discovered the joys and addiction of Ebay a few weeks ago. I had shown very little interest – merely paying attention to his squeals when he found something he wanted at a bargain price.
As an avid collector of Star Trek figurines and finding some of them hard to come by in the usual way he decided to give Ebay a browse with no real enthusiasm or commitment – how that’s changed! He’s there everyday now, searching and bidding frantically – he’s won two or three items so far and sealed the deals, so to speak.
I must admit the cynic in me thought this was a ripe way to get ripped off – sending off money or credit cards and receiving no goods back but to be fair, although our experiences are still in the beginner stages, this has happened yet and he received his first item last week.
Initially we had teething problems registering with the U.S. site as this required credit card details (why are the USA so obsessed with credit cards?!) and every time we tried to register we were given error messages and getting nowhere. So, on consulting with a friend, we tried the UK site which gave no problems and we registered easily and were up and running in minutes after choosing a user name, password and giving the usual required details (no Credit Card number necessary though!).
This stirred my interest as I don’t have a credit card and so here was a rare site I could actually use! But, being short of funds and not after anything in particular, I was interested not as a buyer but a seller – oh, I’m sure on turning my flat upside down I can find plenty to sell and hopefully make a few £££s!
Ebay has every conceivable category to buy and sell in and every price from a few pence upwards so whether you want to dabble for fun or are seriously looking for certain goods it is worth giving it a browse. Anything from CDs, records, toys, games, computers, antiques, clothes and larger items – you’ll find it there somewhere.
The site is easy to navigate and search on and fairly self-explanatory when it comes to placing bids – they even inform you by email when you have been outbid on an item or have won an item so you don’t even need to visit the site to check every day.
As a novice seller so far I have found it easy as they guide you through listing an item step-by-step but, as yet, I haven’t received any bids on the couple of items I have submitted so far – but the buzz of doing it was enough for me! As a seller you have to pay a small amount to list your items for sale, there are additional charges for special services, such as special listings, links, bigger pictures, bold ads etc, but for a basic submission it only works out at a pound or so, if that.
It can throw up problems if you decide to buy and/or sell internationally as then there are difficulties of currency exchange rates, payment methods and shipping but you have the option to only buy or sell within the UK and, as a seller, select you preferred payment methods so no such issues need be a problem if you think ahead.
Well, so far I’ve yet to see if I become an expert auctioneer but my boyfriend is most definitely becoming an expert buyer! Interesting and fun, whether you are a serious buyer/seller or just after the odd item.
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Good op!! I signed up to E-Bay for the first time last week & although I haven't thought of anything to sell yet, I've managed to track down & successfully bid for a copy of the original VHS copy of "Lemon Popsicle". Great site! I'll definitely be back!
whitbybunny 23.10.2001 22:48
I've only used the amazon auctions and I had the same reservations as you - a good way to get ripped off. Start of small I say, and build confidence. Maybe I'll try this one now - the only thing is I end up buying things I had no intention of getting - need more discipline.
Kunama 23.10.2001 13:52
Ebay are good, but I found I got a better response to selling things on yahoo auctions.
Advantages: cheap, quick, secure, the seller has reviews next to his name on previous sold items Disadvantages: Some people run scams, you don't get to see the product until it arrives.
Beeboystance 09.08.2000 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of ebay.co.uk
Oct 22nd, 2001
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