eBay. Caveat Emptor
 May 6th, 2002
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  Caprina1
About me:
Trying to acclimate again as the Summer sun is over 90 degrees! I shall stop by and say "Hey&qu...
Member since:28.04.2002
Reviews:6
Members who trust:9
Review rated by 71 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
This review received a counterstatement by a party concerned
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How I got started A co-worker of mine knew how much I loved to go shopping, and computers had only just become really popular then, when she suggested that I try this innovative new internet auction site, called eBay. She told me that it's just like going to an auctioneers' and placing a bid for stuff that you like, except that you never have to move from your computer.
Curious, I decided to check out some of the items that were up for auction. I didn't sign-up right away - I wanted to see what was there first, and I was glad that I never had to commit myself by becoming a "member" immediately. The first thing I looked for was a "hand-painted" (sic) hand-decorated selection of silk blouses, by top U.S. designer, Diane Gilman. Now you have to understand that these blouses are made exclusively for the boutiques in Los Angeles, Calif., frequented only by the very, very wealthy. I mean they sell for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. Here they were on eBay for 100-200 dollars!
Before very long, I was looking at the hundreds of items by this very well-respected designer and becoming more and more fascinated (not to say
"hooked") by the range, low prices AND the fact that the items were advertised as NWT (new with tags). Signing-Up
I decided to read all about becoming a member, and checked to see what small print there was - I was very wary of this internet thing and didn't want to be "ripped off". It appeared to be very straightforward: You first need to select your country from the drop-down list.
From there you see that you need to be at least 18 years of age. You are required to enter your e-mail, and your full name and home address details. You don’t even have to give your date of birth or gender (sex), although it is requested as an option. A credit card at this stage is not compulsory, although I would recommend that you do provide one when registering, as it just makes life a lot easier when you go to buy later on. EBay will then send you an e-mail to confirm your membership. You just follow the URL (link) they give you, and you’re ready to start tackling the wonderful world of online auctions!
Searching For Bargains
After you log-on, you will find that there are several methods to choose, when searching for that all important gift or item. You can just write the name of the item you’re looking for in the search box (preferred method), or you can select from the “Specialty Sites” (like eBay Stores, eBay Motors etc), or from the list of “Categories” (Airline Tickets, DVDs & Movies etc). At this point I entered “Diane Gilman”, and hit the search button. I was presented with a list of over 50 different items, arranged in a table. It showed a camera icon, (95% of the time, if the seller had included a picture of their item), the item title (product description), the current highest bid, the number of bids to date, and how much time before the auction finished.
Choosing and Bidding
I looked at the list and selected the one I was interested in: a purple, Diane Gilman, silk blouse, just $20.00 (You can normally expect to get these for around $100.00 to 150.00 outside of eBay). I looked at the screen that came next, and saw it had an icon at the left marked DESCRIPTION. I clicked on it; there was a picture of the blouse, in vivid color. It was just what I wanted. How was I going to bid on it? I scrolled down the screen, the description was very thorough: it gave the size, the material, payment methods accepted, it was all there! I scrolled further down, and found the section headed: BIDDING. At last, I was going to place my first bid! I entered the amount I was offering, and clicked the box marked REVIEW BID.
Here I was taken to another window, where I confirmed my bid, by entering my new password. Then Presto! My bid was placed, and I had become the newest member of the online auction community! Winning and Paying
My first bid item was due to end only 15 minutes later, so I didn’t have very long to wait before seeing the message come up on the auction page, that my I [My ID] had won the auction. Shortly afterward, I received an e-mail from the Seller to congratulate me on winning the auction (these people on eBay were so nice!), and that I could pay through the auction page by PayPal or check/money order. She gave her name and address, and I sent her a money order the same day. Later on I registered for PayPal, which is a very easy way to associate your credit card with a secure, electronic money transfer site, which takes between one and two weeks to set up (see site for complete information, but I highly advise you to do this soon – I didn’t, and I wished I’d done it earlier).
Receiving Goods and “Feedback”
Within three days my beautiful blouse arrived in the mail, exactly as it had looked on the auction site, in perfect condition and still with its tags. Absolutely, untouched, virgin-new. I was overjoyed with my purchase. A note was included in the box, which said that if I was happy with my blouse, that I should consider leaving feedback. What was feedback? Why is it important? Well, true to form, I checked out the help pages on eBay, which explained about feedback, and how you could gain credibility in the auction environment yourself, as a buyer, and also help and improve the selling credibility of the merchants providing the goods.
If the experience was as you expected, you got what you wanted, payment was easy, you didn’t wait very long, etc., share the experience with other sellers, by giving a POSITIVE rating. Similarly, if your experience was not good, then give NEGATIVE feedback. That way, the bad sellers choose elsewhere to sell (and in exceptional circumstances, may even be expelled by eBay); as an overall result eBay’s credibility improves too, more people become members, and the range & prices get even more competitive.
NB It should be noted, however, than seller and buyer should always try and resolve their misunderstandings by e-mail (or sometimes even by telephone, which eBay will provide), before using the NEGATIVE feedback option. Why Caveat Emptor?
I have personally “won” well over 100 items through eBay, and only twice have I received goods which fell below the standard I’d expected. You should always remember, that Caveat Emptor (Let the buyer beware), is something that, although very unlikely, should always be in the back of your mind for every auction.
All-in-all, my favorite place to shop is still eBay. You can get anything from a pick-me-up on a rainy day, to gifts for birthdays, Christmas and stuff for weddings too! (Why not? I did! I got everything for my wedding from this online auction site – except my husband, he came from an online dating site!) What next? May be a car from eBay Motors. Who knows!
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by (1%):
02.05.2003 17:26
good op:)
27.04.2003 16:52
A husband... online... wonder how much they go for?! Only joking! Great op.
10.03.2003 12:06
I'm an avid seller and buyer on Ebay, but don't sell expensive or designer items, just things from my house. Made quite a bit of money though from things I might have thrown away.