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Post by bowheadwhale on Oct 31, 2013 12:23:23 GMT -6
One thing that annoys me reading on Ebay: NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. Crap. Bowheadwhale, it always pays off to message them and ask. I find sellers many times will ship to Canada even if stating US only on their listings. I DO always ask. But I still sometimes get refused for being out of the USA. Once, in 2007, a seller cancelled my transaction for a 1$ MLP pony, just because he/she didn't want to go international, and he/she even refused to tell me WHY he/she only shipped to USA. At leat, the seller could have explained my his/her reasons. But he/she didn't. Crap.
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Post by else3573 on Oct 31, 2013 12:53:41 GMT -6
I only ship to the USA. It's because tracking is extremely expensive to put on an international package and it's too risky to ship something without tracking, if it's a dishonest buyer, they could say they never got it, and I'm out the item and the money.
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Post by else3573 on Oct 31, 2013 12:59:01 GMT -6
@victoryleo, I have never had a problem selling on Ebay. it really depends, lujck of the draw I guess. One thing is, I message every buyer and tell them their package is on the way, I thank them for their purchase, etc. It' makes it harder for them to leave bad feedback if it's personal, and I specifically tell them to message me FIRST, if there's a problem. I'd rather kick a few bucks back to someone on a partial refund then have it returned and get negative feedback.
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Post by rihia2k on Oct 31, 2013 14:07:24 GMT -6
Something which has annoyed a few times on the Bay: Im pretty 'disciplined' on the Bay at present, not buying too much, but I still browse for research/entertainment. Using some obscure advanced search options I've found a couple of good deals I couldn't refuse, happily won the item then - whaddyaknow - seller withdrawals the transaction as "item not available" or "listed in error". Its pretty obvious sometimes that the item simply went under the radar & didn't reach the sellers expectations. Sure a seller has the right to ask any price initially but when you've sold something - you've sold something. Why lure buyers with a low reserve only to then disappoint yourself and others? (okay, end of mad rantings)
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Post by rihia2k on Nov 6, 2013 14:05:58 GMT -6
Aaaand... just to balance the cards because I dissed eBay, lets diss the flea markets (this bitching things kinda' fun). I work at a market on Sundays. Trash & Treasure - emphasis on 'Trash', its truly tragic what some stallholders try to charge for crud you couldn't give away for free. Anyway hit the stalls early one week and found a toy merchant, all modern stuff unopened - mostly Predator and Batman material. "This one?" "30 dollars, very rare" "This one?" "30 dollars, very rare" So on, so forth - every item. Needless to say none of them were rare or worth 30 bucks. In fact they'd be worth less in a store minty fresh, whereas hers had been exposed to the elements, crow dust and gecko poop on beat up cards for weeks. None of these should jump out as an impulse bargain either and its clear her trade relies solely on poor suckers. Aah... I feel better now and promise never to post in this thread again.
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Post by bowheadwhale on Nov 9, 2013 14:37:47 GMT -6
I only ship to the USA. It's because tracking is extremely expensive to put on an international package and it's too risky to ship something without tracking, if it's a dishonest buyer, they could say they never got it, and I'm out the item and the money. It's very funny you said that, because the one time I didn't receive my Ebay item... was a pin shipped WITHIN QUEBEC...
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Post by else3573 on Nov 10, 2013 22:19:25 GMT -6
Yeah, I'm sure that the package will get there, but someone dishonest could lie andf say they didn't get it. It's why I never ship without tracking, in the US or international. If someone is willing to pay for it to be shipped out of the US WITH tracking, I'll consider it.
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Post by bowheadwhale on Dec 3, 2013 15:14:50 GMT -6
Yeah, I'm sure that the package will get there, but someone dishonest could lie andf say they didn't get it. It's why I never ship without tracking, in the US or international. If someone is willing to pay for it to be shipped out of the US WITH tracking, I'll consider it. I wonder if there is any trick to recognize a honest ebayer from a dishonest ebayer...
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Post by proteus on Dec 5, 2013 15:37:19 GMT -6
no where online do you encounter more grade a assholes or psychos,than on Ebay. i have been threatened with violence for opening a dispute that an item didnt come, ive encountered some very dark people , and some really nasty vindictive deeply unpleasant people. but theyre still in the minority.theres also some lovely honest genuine people on there, yard sales are a minefield- and youre right some of them think the most common thing is worth a fortune - they just make me laugh- for instance about 2 years ago some daleks came out for doctor who, they sold for around 10 dollars each- i saw some at a yard sale- no eyes no arms- all snapped off- totally worthless- the guy had 30 dollars each on them.i just laughed.
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kidrandor
Forum Lurker
Nov 13, 2013 7:27:29 GMT -6
Posts: 28
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Post by kidrandor on Dec 6, 2013 11:59:23 GMT -6
I have had success at both flea markets and yard sales. I even land a nice score on ebay every now and then. I think it comes down to timing and just depends on whether or not the seller knows what they have and whether or not YOU are the first person to spot it and know what it is. I once scored a green Scareglow (MOTU)halberd for a couple of bucks at a flea market. The weapon was in the hands of a dusty old Whiplash figure that was being sold for a few bucks.
One thing that bothers me most about all of the above mentioned is when the seller thinks they are sitting on a pile of gold and ask crazy prices. I guess it is their right to ask whatever they want for the item but not being willing to haggle with you is annoying.
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Post by waywardmonk on Jan 25, 2014 0:39:16 GMT -6
When I lived in CA 15 yrs ago I picked up a few transformers at a yard sale for $.25 each. I knew nothing about them and put them on eBay for $.01 and they ended up selling for over $100. That was pretty much the only luck I had finding action figures at yard sales. I loved going to yard sales for picking up old board games though.
The flea markets in CA always had lots of figures. The occasional sellers were the best. Good prices, unique finds, friendly... The regular sellers were usually total jerks. They thought everything they had was made out of gold and hardly ever seemed to sell anything. They just enjoyed showing off their stuff and ridiculous price tags.
I live in GA now and yard sales and flea markets have been total busts for me. I found an electronic dark tower board game once, but little else. Can anyone in the North Georgia area suggest some good spots to check out? eBay just isn't as fun.
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Post by dwitefry on Jan 26, 2014 21:23:24 GMT -6
I live in the UK so we don't have yard sales or flea markets we have car boot sales, which I love and have done all my life, they're just lots of yard sales in one place and everyone's pretty good there. A lot are families or single parents but there are dedicated stalls for a lots of things, including toys and action figures and they tend to be fair, though expensive in comparison to Julie from down the road selling her kid's old Ninja Turtles for 20p they're good prices for what they are. The only stuff that really gets priced up by the 'unwashed ignorant masses' selling at the ones I go too is usually Kenner Star Wars and 60's Action Man, sometimes G1 Transformers and Matchbox Thunderbirds, if you can stand the constant wrestling action figures threre's few problems from the sellers (the buyers on the other hand....urrrgh)
eBay irritates me because it insults my intelligence, sellers routinely do things presumably under the impression that buyers are stupid - my biggest pet peeve is the words 'Look Rare' (even worse if it's in all caps)- regular tricks like 'switching' the P&P and Sale price so you look like you're getting a bargain, only to see the P&P is what they really want for it, stuff like that, it's all irritating. The biggest issues for me at the moment though is the new trend of American sellers charging extreme amounts for postage (i know postage has gone up, but i also know how much it costs to ship mini-figures and it ain't that much) and Germany. Does anyone know why Germans really over-price things? Was/is there issues with distribution in Germany leading to things being rarer? Really buying anything that isn't buy it now DVDs from eBay is filled with niggling little things, i routinely interrupt skype/facebook chat conversations to add random annoyed commentary on my ebay viewing.
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Post by figurecollector on Jan 27, 2014 12:22:40 GMT -6
Someone told me once that toys are charged 18% tax coming in or going out of Germany, so it no wonder that they are higher.
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Post by kylefromdirtnapp on Jan 27, 2014 22:36:40 GMT -6
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Post by dwitefry on Jan 28, 2014 20:19:08 GMT -6
See $13.50 isn't too bad, because of the conversion rate it still comes in about double what you'd pay over here, which is about what i expect, America is a long way away after all, but some people want 30 to 40 pounds for shipping two or three figures or some cereal premiums. That's taking the rise. Ooooh, that would make a lot of sense (I didn't think it was just German people being horrid )
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jeff
Garage Sale Scavenger
Jan 17, 2014 15:04:23 GMT -6
Posts: 36
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Post by jeff on Jan 28, 2014 20:59:48 GMT -6
Cell phones are sweet for yard sales since you can pretty much pull up eBay and show what things ACTUALLY sell for vs. what some store is asking for online and not moving.
Conventions drive me nuts. The dudes there can be so arrogant selling stuff. I once showed a guy how much something was currently going for ON EBAY to get him to lower the price. He just said "then buy it on eBay" which I did. But it's like, dude, I'd rather just take it home now. His loss. I know because every time his booth's around for a convention he has the same stuff half the time. However, some booths have killer stuff for fair prices or outright steals.
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Post by waywardmonk on Jan 29, 2014 9:57:27 GMT -6
I was watching a Mannix auction on eBay that was supposed to end tonight, but last night the seller ended it early even with around 7 bids. It wasn't going to go for cheap, so I assume someone made an offer the seller couldn't refuse. I was watching another auction once with a low start and no bids that the seller ended 10 minutes before it was supposed to. He didn't want to let it go for his minimum. I had another seller overcharge me for shipping and then send it slower then advertised. He paid 1/3 of what he charged me. In his own words he said that he was expecting more for the auction, wanted to save a few bucks, and anyway I was stil getting a good deal... This kind of unprofessional behavior is frustrating, but at least it doesn't happen too often.
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Post by defzombie on Jan 29, 2014 17:13:01 GMT -6
Honestly I've had luck on both eBay and yard sales. Some of my best trades/sales have been on awesome Down to earth communities like these made great friends too
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Post by kylefromdirtnapp on Jan 29, 2014 22:41:00 GMT -6
I was watching a Mannix auction on eBay that was supposed to end tonight, but last night the seller ended it early even with around 7 bids. It wasn't going to go for cheap, so I assume someone made an offer the seller couldn't refuse. I was watching another auction once with a low start and no bids that the seller ended 10 minutes before it was supposed to. He didn't want to let it go for his minimum. I had another seller overcharge me for shipping and then send it slower then advertised. He paid 1/3 of what he charged me. In his own words he said that he was expecting more for the auction, wanted to save a few bucks, and anyway I was stil getting a good deal... This kind of unprofessional behavior is frustrating, but at least it doesn't happen too often. I thought you couldn't end auctions that had bids?
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Post by drekkus on Jan 30, 2014 9:46:16 GMT -6
I thought you couldn't end auctions that had bids? Oh yeah you can, happened to me multiple times Mostly for stuff i never saw again after the auktion 1 seller had the audacity to do it with 3 seperate auktions on different times where i was the high bidder and all 3 items just broke he said. Ebay is doing jack against this, i even pointed them to what the odds where of 3 seperate items breaking in seperate occasions. tough luck It was so frustrating and the worst thing is the only one who is wronged i you the bidder ebay couldn't care less and the seller also doesn't give a frack about loosing a customer. So many other fishes in the sea. So best would be to laugh about it, wish i could I also once had a seller pull an auktion on the last day due to no bids, that i can understand. so sometimes i just place an initial low bid to hopefully prevent that from happening again. And once i missed an auktion but bought some other stuff from the same seller. I asked if he would sell the stuff i missed to me. He said what do you offer? I think i offered the listing price and a little bit more. He said no not enough, didn't even do a counter offer. Why the F* then list your stuff for a price you are not wanting to let it go for?? He listed it again, and again and again and i watched as it didn't sell. Dumb dumb dumber Feels good to vent
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Post by kylefromdirtnapp on Jan 30, 2014 19:51:11 GMT -6
That's why I throw minimum bids in, no point now I guess.
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Post by WishItWas1984 on Jan 31, 2014 15:20:35 GMT -6
I only ship to the USA. It's because tracking is extremely expensive to put on an international package and it's too risky to ship something without tracking, if it's a dishonest buyer, they could say they never got it, and I'm out the item and the money. I get around this problem by not offering refunds except through shipping insurance. If a scammer knows they won't get anything unless a shipper deems it truly was lost after an investigation, they are rarely going to bother. Thankfully though I've never had to deal with a lost package so far. And if it wasn't for opening up my auctions to the world, I never would've sold my 2 rarest pieces for what they went for.
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Post by proteus on Feb 1, 2014 11:57:31 GMT -6
Ebay by a long way.
never did i find a more retched hive of fraudsters and psychos
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volleydan
Garage Sale Scavenger
Jan 21, 2014 15:25:22 GMT -6
Grumpy Old Man
Posts: 34
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Post by volleydan on Feb 3, 2014 11:22:16 GMT -6
At least there's some structure to eBay....and I can sneak a few minutes here and there to shop on eBay. I haven't been able to make/find time to go to a yard sale in years, and on the rare occasion I get to go, what they had advertised as "kids toys" are stuff from the past couple years. The older we get, the harder it is going to be to find anything vintage at yard sales.
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Post by BoogDoc7 on Feb 4, 2014 19:05:11 GMT -6
The good thing is that we're seeing the more modern 3 3/4" stuff start to pop up in garage sales and should see plenty of the more modern super hero stuff pop up.
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Post by brcthrift on Feb 14, 2014 19:23:43 GMT -6
I only ship to the USA. It's because tracking is extremely expensive to put on an international package and it's too risky to ship something without tracking, if it's a dishonest buyer, they could say they never got it, and I'm out the item and the money. The postal service has gotten much better at delivery confirmation on international items. You get free delivery confirmation to many countries when you buy discounted postage through eBay. Plus foreign buyers are often willing to pay more. You are really hurting yourself if you aren't selling worldwide.
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Post by else3573 on Feb 17, 2014 2:44:13 GMT -6
Meh, I do ok. I am not in it as a business honestly. But I do occasionally ship outside of the US if they are willing to pay for tracking. My printer is broken though so using Ebay shipping is out, and someone else ships for me, so having them do the customs and everything just to sell an item here and there isn't usually worth the hassle to me on a $10 item. If I'm selling something worth money and the person contacts me first, agrees to pay the shipping, then I probably will. But it's not a bikg deal to me either way, I just don't want my feedback screwed up or my finances touched doue to their customs taking too long or them lying about getting a package. There's a LOT of people that don't ship international though, not just people from the US. I went onto Ebay UK, a lady had an Oculous Orb headpopper for 20 pounds. I said "I see you don't offer shipping to the US, buit I have this complete set except for this figure, which I have been chasing for 5 years now. If there's ANY way you couild make an exception and ship to the US I would be willing to pay any tracking expenses, whatever it takes. Thanks for your time". She wrot back that if I wanted to buy the whole set, she would do it, but was afraid of one small item getting lost like that. But, she doesn't offer it, so I can't be mad, it's her choice. Eventually I'll get one...
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Post by waywardmonk on Feb 17, 2014 9:13:31 GMT -6
I haven't been shipping international just to avoid the extra hassle. Then eBay began their global shipping push and I got tricked into listing a bunch of auctions on their overpriced program. I was surprised, even embarassed, how high some of my auctions sold for. Much higher than their value. I felt like I was somehow taking advantage of the bidders, even though they made the bids. I still didn't start offering international shipping after that though, mostly because I was annoyed at eBay's policies. Recently I've tried to order some things from overseas and run into a lot of sellers that don't want to ship internationally and I now realize how frustrating it is to potential buyers. I think I'll start offering shipping outside the U.S. again and see what happens.
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