# eBay **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379 "2005-03-14T01:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/1 "2005-03-14T01:33:19Z")
Well I feel stupid now. I’ve frequently said eBay sucks and there is no good reason to ever use it. Well, now that I plan on going to go see a NCAA Tournament game that has been sold out for weeks I’m probably going to have to use eBay :(. My question is, how reliable is it? What are the chances of me getting ripped off? How high schould I expect someone’s “seller rating” to be before I buy from them? I figure with big sporting events like this we will see lots of newbie sellers because it seems like it’d be a common thing to acquire some extra tickets for a hot event then sell them online. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/2 "2005-03-14T01:41:29Z")
For something that potentially expensive, a high rating is a must. Don’t look at the positive feedback. It’s almost always the same comment. Look at the negatives, if any. This will tell you more about the dealer. Especially if the dealer doesn’t respond to the negative comments. READ THE DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY! ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/3 "2005-03-14T01:52:56Z")
Yea, I’ll probably be spending between $400-$700 total. ---
**Author:** ![Thalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@Thalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thalion)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/4 "2005-03-14T02:04:34Z")
**Mr. Blue Sky** gives good advice. I’ve used eBay scores of times (nothing that expensive, though) and I’ve never had the slightest problem. Everything exactly as advertised, quick delivery, etc. YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/5 "2005-03-14T02:58:33Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Yea, I’ll probably be spending between $400-$700 total. I’ve used eBay for years and have encountered only a few sellers who failed to keep their end of the deal. I would suggest asking the seller a lot of questions, and if any answers do not suit you 100%, forget that seller. Of course, if the seller does not respond at all, that’s a pretty good sign that you might not get the best of service after the auction. From the feedback, try to find comparable items that the seller sold and how satisfied were the buyers. I personally stay away from big ticket items on eBay unless I’m absolutely certain about the seller, and even then, I pay for it with a credit card. That way, if anything goes awry, I can get my money back through the credit card company. That happened a couple of times when I got my money back using credit card chargebacks. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/6 "2005-03-14T03:03:21Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > I personally stay away from big ticket items on eBay unless I’m absolutely certain about the seller, and even then, I pay for it with a credit card. That way, if anything goes awry, I can get my money back through the credit card company. That happened a couple of times when I got my money back using credit card chargebacks. Does PayPal work the same way if you don’t receive the item? Haj ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/7 "2005-03-14T04:43:34Z")
For an expensive item, not only check for high feedback (at least 50 or higher) but cross check the feedback. IOW check the feedback of the people who left the seller feedback. Also make sure that the seller’s feedback is mostly for items _they’ve sold_ not just bought. And check to see what the items were. A cottage industry has developed on ebay in the last few years of people selling hundreds of meaningless or even non-existent items for pennies. What they’re really selling is quick & cheap (and disengenuious) positive feedback. Usually the words POSITIVE FEEDBACK will be right in the auction title. I even once saw I guy selling a **genuine air guitar** like this! ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/8 "2005-03-14T06:48:08Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Does PayPal work the same way if you don’t receive the item? > > Haj You have 30 days to contest an auction with PayPal. They require you to go through them first, which I do. PayPal has returned money to me too. I’ve heard of tough-luck stories with PayPal where PayPal will shut you down if you get a chargeback from your credit card without going through them first, but this has never happened to me. I’ve had good luck with PayPal, and in fact, will rarely bid on auctions that don’t use PayPal. To mail a check or money order to a seller is like handing them cash that you’ll never get back if something goes wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dhcstar957](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dhcstar957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhcstar957)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/9 "2005-03-14T11:38:00Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > For an expensive item, not only check for high feedback (at least 50 or higher) but cross check the feedback. IOW check the feedback of the people who left the seller feedback. Also make sure that the seller’s feedback is mostly for items _they’ve sold_ not just bought. Hail Ants is absolutely correct. I have been buying and selling on eBay for years and always check feedback. I have never received an item that was not as described. Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/10 "2005-03-14T12:27:45Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Well I feel stupid now. I’ve frequently said eBay sucks and there is no good reason to ever use it. > > Well, now that I plan on going to go see a NCAA Tournament game that has been sold out for weeks I’m probably going to have to use eBay Let me get this straight. You’ve been criticizing eBay, but now you admit you have never used it? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/11 "2005-03-14T14:19:39Z")
I would definitely use PayPal. I’ve bought and sold some rather expensive items (e.g., selling a $3,000 dining room set, buying a $2,000 pinball machine), and only gotten stiffed seriously once, for a $400 guitar. PayPal jumped right in the middle of it and refunded my money. I was annoyed that I didn’t get the guitar in time for my daughter’s birthday, but I didn’t lose any money on the deal. This guy hadn’t been selling long and had only about 10 positive feedback and no negative. After I bought the guitar, three negative feedbacks got posted. After I filed the complaint and posted the negative feedback, his account was shut down. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay/294379/12 "2005-03-14T17:02:16Z")
Well, there is another problem- a newbie buyer with a 0 rating who is bidding on exactly one expensive item will be looked upon with much suspicion. I suggest that everyone here go ahead to eBay, get an ID, and buy a couple of trinckets. Learn how the system works, including Paypal, reading Feedback, and leaving FB. Learn how to spot good sellers- a NEG or two isn’t terrible, but you should find them and read them. You also should check what FB the seller left in response. Does the seller ONLY leave FB after he gets it? Means a suspicious seller that likes to leave retalitory FB. Not nessesarily to be avoided, but watched. How about the S&H? Some sellers make all their profit from S&H- always make sure you know what it is going to be first. Seeing an item with a price of under $1 but $12.50 S&H isn’t all that uncommon. Read the sellers “Terms of Sale”- look out for extremely long & weird ToS. Watch carefully for very expensive items being sold by relative new sellers, especially those in China or the old USSR. The S&H can be outrageous, and there’s not much you can do if you send them the $$ by wire and they walk away with it. Be very very careful of sellers that don’t take Paypal. If it is from a buyer that seems to be selling just a couple extra items from his collection or something, and so wants a MO or a check- well OK.