The pre-eBay world vs. the post-eBay world

[Bijou_Drains]

Another point is I just don’t buy many small items at all. I buy clothes to wear and books to read and some music, that’s about it.

When I spend money for fun it tends to be for a big item such as a kayak and I need to see that first before I buy it. I also buy camping equipment and I also need to see that before I buy too.

[salinqmind]

@Maastricht

I guess pawn shops will disappear. Why pawn off your boombox when you can sell it (or something else) on E-bay?

We now have stores specializing in Ebay sells. You drop off a cardboard box full of junk, and they will list and sell it for you. That is a new phenomenon.

Some people now have less junk in their homes. They know that it is no use saving all that old furniture, that baby crib, those toys, for when their kids will have their own homes. The kids, when they start out, will buy something off Craigslist or Ebay instead.
Some people have MORE junk in their homes, because they “might sell it all for a profit on Ebay, if they get 'round to it”. Those hoarders never take the trouble of checking what their stuff will be worth. Do you really want to hang on to that set of glassware, and let it take up precious living space for years, to sell it someday, if you saw that an identical set went for 12 bucks?

Sales through the Dutch version of Ebay (Marktplaats.nl) were worth about 2 billion in 2007. Some of that was new stuff, but most of it will be second hand. I guess all that stuff from attics now doesn’t go to a landfill, but adds value to the economy, even if it replaces newly bought stuff (which is great for the environment, anyway).

We used to have a lot of those shops around here (where you drop stuff off and they handle the entire eBay process for you) but they all went out of business and it was a HUGE mess, people didn’t get their ‘stuff’ back for months. A HUGE mess.

So, people sell their baby furniture and toys and such on eBay instead of holding onto it for their own kids use someday? Because they don’t want the clutter? And then the kids, when they need baby stuff, buy it (used?) off eBay?? Something there doesn’t sound right! I’d rather have MY childhood stuff for my kid. Or buy new stuff.

[astro]

I’ve sold a ton of stuff via eBay over the years 90% + of which I acquired via thrift store browsing. Some stuff sells and a good chunk (more than you might think) I eat by giving back to the thrift if it does not sell. It is remarkable how I take something picked out of someone’s thrift store donations, and find a person for whom it is a unique jewel, and they are all over the planet. There is a treasure hunt joy when you’ve find something truly unique that you can sell and make others happy, and make money on at the same time.

[Monstera_deliciosa]

@Lynn_Bodoni

Yeah, he had a lot more power than you did, in this situation. I figure that if someone has thousands of feedbacks, he’s bound to get some negatives, and I don’t really hold that against him. You just got burned by this guy, plain and simple.

eBay used to have feedback for both buyers and sellers. Due to people (especially sellers) not leaving feedback, or abusing feedback, eBay decided to quit allowing sellers to leave feedback to buyers. See Cisco’s problem with the seller for just why this was sometimes a problem.

Sellers cannot leave negative feedback to buyers. Unless things have changed in the last 11 days (my last feedback from a seller) they can leave positive feedback for buyers if they wish.

[obfusciatrist]

I must admit that my big mental block to p2p sales sites (and I did use eBay fairly often early on then fell out of the habit) is that I just assume it is the equivalent of buying out of the back of a truck from some guy who says it fell out of the back of another truck.

I know that’s not a fair perception (but in the neighborhood I grew up in, the regular “garage sale” people were all selling the stuff they’d stolen over the week; one guy would give a discount if you could convince him it was your own bicycle you were trying to buy back). But I still feel dirty whenever I play. So I don’t often.

[dropzone]

@Cisco

I think that’s telling.

“Telling” WHAT, exactly.

I, a collector of what Grandpa DIDN’T collect, know that eBay is a wonderful place to unload the CRAP one collected to get rid of loads of shit I don’t need.

[Cisco]

@dropzone

“Telling” WHAT, exactly.

I, a collector of what Grandpa DIDN’T collect, know that eBay is a wonderful place to unload the CRAP one collected to get rid of loads of shit I don’t need.

Huh? I can’t even parse this, but I think the answer you’re looking for is:

The joy was in the process.

Did everyone else get that?

[Fuzzy_Dunlop]

@Bijou_Drains

I know I can search by area, I just don’t have any need (or want) to buy used stuff from other people except in very rare cases. And I don’t need to sell anything either.

As far as buying new stuff there are about 1 million other websites I can buy new stuff from.

There are 1 million other Web sites you can buy new stuff from but lots of them don’t offer prices as good as Ebay. For a lot of items, 99.7% of all the Web sites have the item for the exact same MSRP. Thanks to the Internet, you can scour all million sites for the 0.3% with a better deal in just a few minutes. But a lot of times that will be somebody selling it on eBay brand new for the best price.

It’s not always the best deal - last month I was looking for the best deal on a particular ski jacket. There were a couple brand new ones for sale on ebay cheaper than at most online or retail stores, but I found an even better price on some other site.

It seems ignorant to write off eBay just because there are a lot of other sites. I would say that just coincidentally most of my eBay purchases are from real mom & pop stores that are merely using eBay as an additional channel. It’s the Internet, you can price shop in minutes, so why not include eBay?

[Cicero]

I have never bought or sold on eBay. It has passed me by.