The eBay thread

[redzonerocker]

1) Is it as simple as ordering what you want and paying by Paypal?

it really is that simple! most things i own have come from ebay.
i reckon i've saved a small fortune on computers/laptops, furniture & the 4 cars i've bought on the site

2) Are there any shipping problems with Thailand (such as customs keeping stuff, charging you xxx% import duty, or the post office pinching packages)?

i can't really answer that one, maybe someone else has more experience of that.
my cousin has done lots of selling from thailand & had no problems at all.

3) Are only the ones with "top rated seller" attributes worth buying from?

not always, though i would imagine the sort of stuff your after would probably come from higher rated sellers anyway.
the lower end sellers are usually selling odd items now & then but are just as reputable.

4) What is the likelihood of being sent the wrong thing or something defective and can you get refunds?

thats always a possibility in any business.
can't say i've had many problems in that dept & the few i had were resolved amicably.
most sellers will show if they have a refund/exchange goods option & most reputable ones do have it.

5) How long does shipping usually take once you've ordered?

again, the seller will give a description on posting options.
ie they will ship the following day after payment is made, it's then in the lap of the gods with the respective countries postal service.


overall it's a fairly good market & security wise it's pretty good.
i do though use a prepaid mastercard for payments & i've also got myself a paypal security key to provide extra security.
mine is the key fob version, but you can get it as an sms.

https://www.paypal-marketing.co.uk/safe ... ityKey.htm

you know what it's like these days with online fraud

[pitsch]

Last year I bought 5 items at Ebay to be sent to Thailand.
1 TDS-meter (to measure the salt content in the pool) never arrived from USA. When I complained after 6 weeks, the seller sent another one free of charge, it arrived after 1 week.
Another item from China did not work correctly. I got a refund of the whole amount (without shipping costs).
The sellers are very much afraid of a negative feedback, therefore they try to satisfy the client.
The other 3 arrived without problems (no customs charge) between 1 and 2 weeks.

[Randy Cornhole]

I did know someone who sold on ebay. He lived in Hua Hin and made a fair living from it. Unfortunatly he sold some copies (fakes) and was thus banned from ebay.

Beware selling copies and counterfiet goods is against the rules of ebay...

[Andee]

It seems to me many successful ebayers make a living at the trade and just like any other trade if you really want to work in it you have to learn the ropes! for instance i could sell you a book about how to fix cars and you might even absorb all that it says and use some of it but it dosent make you a mechanic.

[Nereus]

I buy things occasionally on ebay, mostly car parts. I have had to pay duty on some of the items, and it seems to depend on how the goods are sent. Stuff from the UK sent via the small package service, including "signed for" items, have always been delivered without any custom charges. Any items that have been sent by DHL, etc., ALWAYS incur a customs charge. One item from Australia, sent EMS, also incurred a customs charge.

My stuff gets sent to my Bangkok address, but as the items go through Customs before getting into the postal system, it should not make any difference where your address is. The charges do not seem to follow any logic, especially if it is something a bit unusual. As mentioned above, non-delivery from the ebay seller is not a problem, and if you pay through PayPal you have complete insurance from them.

Delivery time depends on where it comes from, and method of shipment. It is usually 10 days from the UK via Royal Mail.

[buksida]

Thanks for the pointers, I've ordered something now so we'll see if it arrives!

[buksida]

Need a few more eBay tips ... its getting frustrating!

1) I often bid on things only to get an instant message saying I've been out-bid, then again and again. Is this because someone has bid a lot higher and if so why do the listings still show the low price?

2) Is it usual to have no activity for days then a frenzy of bidding at the last moment?

3) 90% of people on the UK site won't ship to Thailand so my options are rather limited, anyway around this?

I'm only looking for Wii games at the moment as you can't buy them here.

[pitsch]

You can input your maximum bid, but it will show to other bidders only one unit higher than his maximum bid.
I stopped bidding, because the professionals will always snatch it from under your nose. You will find a lot of cheap fixed price offers, but the shipping costs to Thailand can vary a lot for the same thing. Always compare price plus shipping.

[chopsticks]

Some buyers place their maximum bid in the final 20 seconds before the auction closes (use an accurate clock synchronised to eBay's displayed time) to try and prevent other bidders having chance to respond.
However, if another bidder has entered a higher maximum bid than yours before your entry the system will automatically increment up to their maximum and may still outbid you.
Try deciding on how much you're prepared to go up to and enter that amount in the final 20-30 secs.

Not sure why they exclude Thailand maybe message them beforehand and ask if they are willing to do so if you offer to pay some additional P&P or use a courier company.

[Randy Cornhole]

1) I often bid on things only to get an instant message saying I've been out-bid, then again and again. Is this because someone has bid a lot higher and if so why do the listings still show the low price?

People put in a maximum bid but ebay will only take as much as is neded to win the item. If someone bids up to £50 it will jump up in incriments as needed to a max of £50.

2) Is it usual to have no activity for days then a frenzy of bidding at the last moment?

This is usual. I wont make any bids until there is less than 20 seconds to go. This is because I don't want to give anyone time to respond to my bid. Also by not showing any interest sometimes keeps the price low.

[chopsticks]

Sometimes it's not convenient to be stuck in front of your computer at the exact end time so an
earlier bid is unavoidable. I guess there are some free software solutions available that will put your bid in at the very last stages (may miss out if you have a slow internet connection ).

If you can't be bothered to wait for an auction to end, or risk being out-bid, the buy-it-now option is the other option.Also favoured by sellers not risking having to accept a low bid when no reserve price.

[buksida]

Thanks for the tips, I'll stick to the "Buy it now" only listings then since I always get out bid as the auctions finish in UK time which is the middle of the night here and 90% won't ship out of the UK.

[Takiap]

Hi Buksi........Try auction sniper. It works a treat if you're a buyer.

[redzonerocker]

Thanks for the tips, I'll stick to the "Buy it now" only listings then since I always get out bid as the auctions finish in UK time which is the middle of the night here and 90% won't ship out of the UK.

there is always the chance that your maximum bid will be the winning one in an auction.
you just have to weigh up the value & the absolute maximum you're prepared to pay for the item (inc postage).
if it's worth it, there's no harm in bidding & your max bid sometimes may be enough to win some auctions

i've seen many auctions where the price, inc the postage, works out more expensive than getting the item at a local store

[Randy Cornhole]

There is also 'bid mate'