Voguevixen – getting the high bid in an auction really does feel like winning.
I’ve never done e-bay, but I love going to estate auctions. It’s a total thrill (hey, I live in Iowa) – even if you end up paying more than something is worth, you always feel like you’ve come out ahead.
I did 80 per cent of my Christmas shopping on ebay (having registered just before Thanksgiving). I blame Satan for this, BTW, since I had never even looked at the place until he started a thread about it. (And I won’t even TELL you what I did to MajorMD to get HER started over there! Our husbands are now trying to figure out how to block us from the site.
How hard is it to become a seller? Do you need anything specific like a license or can anyone with crap to sell just put it up? My mom has a whole house of antiques and oddities she wants to get rid of and was asking me about it. I’ve never bought or sold anything, just looked around and drooled over some of the baseball cards.
Marge: “You know, Homer, it’s very easy to criticize.”
Homer: “Fun, too!”
You have to be careful. I bought my copy of Eraserhead on Ebay and the guy sent a bootleg with a small printed label. I really wanted the videotape so I just kept it but people sell plenty of fake stuff on Ebay. I am starting to sell a few things and it seems like a good way to clean out closets so far. The IRS will figure out a way to tax people selling on Ebay soon. My neighbor makes more on Ebay than at her regular job and she’s a well paid stockbroker.
Vogue, you do not need a license or anything like that.
You have to register on Ebay. There are fees and/or percentages to be paid by the seller for sells.
It helps to have a digital camera, or a scanner or a means of capturing a picture from a video camera. Pictures help with the sale, especially in the area of antiques.
Check out Ebay and you can find out all the info about selling on Ebay.
My parents have become ebay addicts. The thing is, they have me doing all the bidding and arrangements for them. I’m like those people on the phones at Sotherby’s, although on a much smaller scale. I have no idea why they make me do it, my father has been working with computers as far back as I can remember so I’m fairly certain that he can figure it out. I feel so used.
I enjoy Ebay, and have posted my first item FOR SALE. I recently was able to buy an album that was out of print for years, still in its shrink wrap. (it was the 16" Right On Track remixes by the Breakfast Club) I had been looking for that for years. I used to have it on cassette, but a “friend” borrowed it only to never give it back. Also, for computer auctions, check out onsale.com and ubid.com. Combined I’ve purchased 4 systems and great prices from them.
Now is a great time to buy as the news said just what I thought yesterday, mainly that Internet traffic is down 50% since dec 26th.
An ebay trick most people dont know about is people buy new things first from surplusauction.com & then put up for bid at Ebay. If they can’t get their return, they can return it to surplusauction. You’d be surprised how much cheaper things are at suprplusauction than ebay!!! Don’t tell.
I looked at surplusauction, and they didn’t seem to have anywhere near as much selection as ebay.
And another thing: If anyone is in the market for Aibo, the limited edition robot dog from Sony, there are currently a bunch of auctions for them on ebay.
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
I bid on and won an ebay item once. Then I completely forgot to rate the seller. I’m hesitant to go back to ebay because I’m afraid that sort of behavior could get me banned.
The ebay seller was like a business or something instead of a flesh and blood person; it was clear from the emails that I was corresponding with a robot. . . who is now sending me xmas cards for some reason. . .
“I’m just too much for human existence – I should be animated.”
–Wayne Knight
Daniel, you don’t have to rate the seller although it’s only courteous to do it if they give you a rating. If they’ve got several thousand ratings already, they probably won’t miss one. And it certainly will not get you banned; leaving feedback is not required.