I see a laptop on ebay that i wanna buy. Are the stuff sold on ebay insured if something happens?
ebay question
- Thread starter LittleAsianGuy
- Start date
You have to check with the dealer to see if they have shipping insurance. Many of the sellers in the US don't supply insurance for items shipped to Canada.
I've been actively buying and selling on ebay for ~4 years and out of 450+ transactions have only been screwed twice (both once as a buyer and seller). The net of it is you have to follow a few couple of rules:
-first and foremost look at the other parties feedback.....on ebay feedback is EVERYTHING.....every transaction ends with both the buyer and seller being able to leave a positive/neutral/negative rating and comments for the other party (feedback is measured in a percentage, the first time there's a transaction between a buyer/seller that feedback counts towards their score, all future transactions between the two won't impact their score
-before you deal with someone new look at their feedback and see what other people have to say
-as a buyer you want to see things like "well packaged", "shipped ASAP", "clear payment instructions", etc....basically things that portray them as someone you want to do business with.....also as a buyer I'd suggest that they have a minimum of 25 previous transactions (each item bought or sold counts as a transaction)
-as a seller look for comments like "fast payment", "quick to reply", etc
-be informed.....if its a new product know it's retail price and factor in shipping, insurance, tax and if applicable duty....don't bid before you know all this information, in particular the shipping costs as some sellers (in particular the larger ones) can be dirty rat bastards and charge insane shipping costs
-IMO I purchase insurance for any item over $50.....its usually fairly inexpensive and covers your ass.....the insurance offered through paypal is a fucking joke as you have to jump through a bunch of hoops for it to come into effect
-if you have a propensity to impulse buying DON'T venture into ebay.....there's too much cool shit there and its too easy to click, click, click, click (4 clicks from search to purchase)
if you're looking for a third party opinion on the seller you're looking at if you'd like PM me the item number
-first and foremost look at the other parties feedback.....on ebay feedback is EVERYTHING.....every transaction ends with both the buyer and seller being able to leave a positive/neutral/negative rating and comments for the other party (feedback is measured in a percentage, the first time there's a transaction between a buyer/seller that feedback counts towards their score, all future transactions between the two won't impact their score
-before you deal with someone new look at their feedback and see what other people have to say
-as a buyer you want to see things like "well packaged", "shipped ASAP", "clear payment instructions", etc....basically things that portray them as someone you want to do business with.....also as a buyer I'd suggest that they have a minimum of 25 previous transactions (each item bought or sold counts as a transaction)
-as a seller look for comments like "fast payment", "quick to reply", etc
-be informed.....if its a new product know it's retail price and factor in shipping, insurance, tax and if applicable duty....don't bid before you know all this information, in particular the shipping costs as some sellers (in particular the larger ones) can be dirty rat bastards and charge insane shipping costs
-IMO I purchase insurance for any item over $50.....its usually fairly inexpensive and covers your ass.....the insurance offered through paypal is a fucking joke as you have to jump through a bunch of hoops for it to come into effect
-if you have a propensity to impulse buying DON'T venture into ebay.....there's too much cool shit there and its too easy to click, click, click, click (4 clicks from search to purchase)
if you're looking for a third party opinion on the seller you're looking at if you'd like PM me the item number
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I have bought well over 300 items on eBay and agree with Gravitas' assessment. I recommend you insure anything valued at over $100., but not thru Paypal. Buy separate insurance thru say USPS or UPS etc. (whomever is transporting the item).
you can and should contact the seller about shipping: some listings will say US only and you can ask if they will ship to Canada and get the shipping costs up front. you only need to provide province and postal code. you should also ask for shipping weight and box size and carrier and you can check those rates yourself -- if they don't want to, then don't bid!
do a search on the item and set a good price in your mind ... then don't bid a penny more. i was looking at a motorbike part ... new here in Canada was $325 at dealership ... or $225 US at mail order ... I bid up to $130 US (the shipping was about $40US) and quit. The item finally sold for $160US and with shipping it would have been only $25US less than brand new from a retailer with full warranty and return policy etc.
If you are looking for something like a lap-top, you are better off either hitting the computer shops and getting one used, or even places like Dell sell 'reconditioned' ones cheap, there are govt auctions (check the paper) or some great deals at London Drugs and they stand behind their stuff!
do a search on the item and set a good price in your mind ... then don't bid a penny more. i was looking at a motorbike part ... new here in Canada was $325 at dealership ... or $225 US at mail order ... I bid up to $130 US (the shipping was about $40US) and quit. The item finally sold for $160US and with shipping it would have been only $25US less than brand new from a retailer with full warranty and return policy etc.
If you are looking for something like a lap-top, you are better off either hitting the computer shops and getting one used, or even places like Dell sell 'reconditioned' ones cheap, there are govt auctions (check the paper) or some great deals at London Drugs and they stand behind their stuff!
Actually, having good feedback does not guarantee a trustworthy transaction partner. In many cases, accounts are taken over by a third party (either by spoof emails or by keylogger viruses) and hackers list fraudulent items using legitimate member's accounts. I know what I am talking about as I work for the TnS (trust and safety not to be confused with the TnA which I enjoy watchin at the strip clubs 
) department for the company.
) department for the company.
that's good to know.neo-matrix said:Actually, having good feedback does not guarantee a trustworthy transaction partner. In many cases, accounts are taken over by a third party (either by spoof emails or by keylogger viruses) and hackers list fraudulent items using legitimate member's accounts. I know what I am talking about as I work for the TnS (trust and safety not to be confused with the TnA which I enjoy watchin at the strip clubs
the one i always find suspicious is when some newby goes into hyper-bid on an item then disappears and suddenly another newby takes over ... i got bid up on a couple items and just walked when my absolute price had been reached. in one case, e-bay shut the auction down because of 'bidding irregularities'.
no kidding.
thats a very valuable point...first it can get emotional when you're bidding and quickly lose common sense and pay too much.....most of the stuff I get from ebay I use the "buy it now" option so its not really an auction.....when it is an auction format I use a proxy bid site called auction sniper, you enter the item number, your max price and how much time before the auction ends you want to submit your bid......its probably not allowed by ebay but it saves you bucksLonelyGhost said:
I've had that happen and I usually write it off to the seller being a grease ball.....what I've alse experienced a couple of times which is more disturbing is ebay shutting down a transaction and calling it null & void AFTER I've received the itemLonelyGhost said:
