August 12, 2008

• Avoid Paypal at all costs.
• Only buy from people with a large amount of positive feedback who have been members for more than a year or two. Never buy an expensive item from a seller that is new or has a lot of negative feedback (although people have to start somewhere - use your discretion). Never buy an item that has a blurry or small photograph, and be cautious about items advertised with stock photos. Thoroughly read the seller's blurb - make sure you're actually buying a product and not a picture of a product, or just its box ;) (this in the case of electronic items such as game consoles, apple products, highly sort after fad or collector's items, etc) Set yourself a price limit on what you want to pay for any item on auction, and never go above it, even in the last minutes as a bidding war erupts. Unless it's a one of a kind or unique collector's item, you'll most likely see that item again or one just like it. Never buy electronic items such as computer parts from Hong Kong or Chinese sellers if you can avoid it, unless they have large & effusive positive feedback history. Use TypoTracker to find misspelled items - you'd be surprised how many putzes sell sought after items with minor spelling mistakes which means they don't show up in normal searches - a great way to find bargains, as bidding wars don't erupt on mspalled utoms. I disagree with Ralph - I would use PayPal service for payments where at all possible. I've never had a problem with PayPal, but again, let your discretion be your guide and read all small print. PayPal has buyer protection, etc., I would rather use it than use my credit card, frankly. Direct debit is also an option. Main rule: if a deal seems too impossibly good to be true, it always is*. *Although having said that, I've got some spectacularly good bargains on Ebay this last couple of years, including a leather coat that would easily cost 200 bucks in a store that I got for 50, and a large glossy map of Hyboria (Robert E Howard's 'Conan' universe) printed in 1977 by Starmont House publishing, which is a collector's item worth much more than the few tenners I spent on it & which will be framed on my wall soon, plus first issue books, other art pieces, etc. There is a certain amount of risk involved in nailing really good bargains on Ebay. I've been burned a couple of times, but not majorly, and the money I've saved on clothes, for instance, has easily made back any losses by several orders of magnitude. I *love* Ebay.
• Assuming that you're going to sign up for an account for the sake of getting these items - - my word of advice is to go with your gut instinct. Don't just "click 'n buy". Take some time to make sure that you're dealing with a legit seller. As a n00b, you may want to familarize yourself with the seller's feedback. Do they have a lot of positive history? Take a look at the feedback that other's have left for the seller. While this cannot always be relied upon, it's generally a good way to test the waters. I tend to avoid sellers who are out to make a buck on shipping fees (which almost seems to be the norm these days on ebay). For me, it all comes down to the vibe I get from the actual post, and any communication that I have with the seller. I've purchased many items from overseas, some that were a decent $$. Before committing to such transactions, I always initiated some communication with the seller - - if I got a "good, honest, decent person" vibe, then I went for it. So far, I haven't been burned. Also, I suppose it depends on what you are buying. Some items by nature will be more prone to scams.
• I've never had any troubles with PayPal. It's actually worked out quite good for me over the many years that I've utilized it. Good luck on *not* getting sucked in!
• I need the inner parts of a 70s Pyrex stove-top coffee percolator -- the basket and the thing the basket stands on. I've been looking for years in person, but have never been able to locate any (even at Pyrex central in Corning). There seems to be tons of stuff available on ebay, and regularly so. I think it's my one option to get the coffee pot actually working. Fairly mundane stuff.
• That sort of item is the area where Ebay is very useful, Cap.
• I think that you'll probably be safe, considering the items you're looking for. I can't imagine someone intentionally scamming a buyer over some percolator parts (though, I suppose it has been done). Ebay can be a wealth of items that you would otherwise not find so easily. If you're not keen on signing up for ebay, I can always purchase for you, Capt (you're good for it, otherwise I'll demand free beers at the next meetup!).
• My unburied hatchet with Paypal is my not very fond memories of getting an account started, and not with their service after the account was up and running. My bad experience probably was exacerbated because of Canadian-American issues regarding the location of bank accounts and billing addresses of credit cards. Also, they are The Man.
• Don't be shy about asking the seller questions. And don't buy from this guy.
• Seconding TUM's advice on questions. When my husband was selling his camera equipment we really welcomed buyer's questions. Saved them and us heartache if it wasn't what they were looking for. Even if you think you've got a clear description in the ad, it's worth shooting off an email. Most folks are happy to answer, and if you get a bad vibe, you can always vote elsewhere with your money. Happy hunting!
• When you check the seller's feedback, negative comments are more useful than positive ones. Never buy from someone who only ships UPS. (UPS has their own exorbitant fee when shipping to Canada). DHS is also expensive. Be prepared to pay up to 20% more than the price, since Paypal's conversion rates are fairly poor, and Canada Post and the CCRA may take a cut. (Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.) Check some of the local domains: ebay.ca, ebay.fr, etc. in addition to the main one. You can use Paypal with a credit card for an extra level of protection, or use a prepaid credit card if you really don't want to use your regular one.
• If you're not keen on signing up for ebay, I can always purchase for you, Capt. Thanks for the offer, but it shouldn't be necessary -- there are a couple people up here that I can put the squeeze on, should I prove unable or unwilling to start up. Thanks, tho. I'd prefer to do all this myself, only knowing what traps or dangers to avoid, if any.
• EBay has been my business second-hand for the last four years, in that I've worked for companies which provide services to eBay sellers. 99.99% of eBay sellers are good, honest people, who do this for a living. Don't be scared off by horror stories about the remaining .01%. Check the description carefully to be sure it's really the item that you want. Don't make any assumptions - if the part isn't listed in the description, don't assume it will be included in purchase. Feel free to click "Ask Seller A Question" if you're not sure. Before clicking to buy, ascertain how much shipping will cost, what payment methods they accept, whether they will ship to your location, and whether or not insurance is required. Those are the four main "gotchas" for new eBay buyers. Just to be safe, pay either with a credit card or through PayPal. Both methods offer consumer protection in case things go wrong. Bizillions of items are bought and sold on eBay without any problems. You just only tend to hear about transactions that go wrong.
• This is also my 4th year as an eBay Certified Consultant. (Job requirement.) Ph34r m3.
• My rule is to never spend more than I could realistically afford to lose/write off if things go wrong. Mind you, I've been an ebay buyer and sometimes seller for years, and nothing has ever gone wrong.
• This site will pull up only the negative (and maybe neutral) feedback for a seller. For high-volume seller, that's helpful, because it can be difficult to isolate this stuff and it's often what will let you know how the seller has behaved when there have been problems. I haven't used this in a couple of years, so I hope it's still legit.
• If you do sign up for an account, be prepared to monitor it for the rest of your life. I signed up for one so many years ago I don't remember doing it - I think it must have been in 1998 or 1999. Never bought or sold anything. Then last year, someone hacked my account and was ripping off buyers with it. I got email notifications of purchases made from me, followed a few days later by notifications of the purchases being cancelled. Followed by notifications from eBay that my account had been frozen due to fraudulent activity. I notified eBay that I hadn't used the account in a decade and asked them to cancel it, and they refused. And refused, and refused. They said they couldn't cancel it until they had investigated the fraud, and could I please send them all my information about the fraud. I informed them that the only thing I knew was that I hadn't used the account, and they kept asking me to log in and do such and such. And I kept telling them I didn't remember my username and password, or the secret question, etc. It never really ended, I just stopped worrying about it. As far as I know, I still have an eBay account.... but I had never given them any credit card info, so I don't care.
• Avoid PayPal at all costs. Use PayPal at all costs. It isolates your bank account/credit card details from the seller. So you only have one risk of ID theft - PayPal themselves. I use e-bay without much thought. One day I baked a loaf of bread in my bread machine... it got stale and I threw it out... with the little paddle/stirer thingy still inside the loaf. When I realized my mistake (2 weeks later, DOH!) I didn't miss a beat... straight to e-bay where seven nice people had replacement parts of all sizes for a few dollars. As far as feedback you can expect there to be one percent of customers who are angry at the whole world and will complain about anything. But if 2% say "delay and failed to respond to emails" that's a sign. Also it seems that feedback for regular, satisfactory service is always "A++++ number one best ebayer"... it's like a mere "neutral" is an insult. Watch out for the $3 item with $30 shipping trick. And don't get addicted.
• I'm leery of PayPal, unless you really know the seller is legit. PayPal claims to have good recourse for fraud, but in reality they (ie ebay, who owns them) do nothing much. Find out if your credit card has fraud/identity theft protection and use that (I know that Visa has both in the US, for free, but I'm not up on my Canadian credit card rules). I have used PayPal, and continue to use them with sellers I have a good history with, but I'm not going to use PayPal any more for ebay purchases with sellers I don't know.
• Oh, and watch out for the people who'll think you're stupid. I used to have quite a good time on ebay -- I even sold a car there, years ago -- but lately I think the fraud is getting a little silly. The last few times I've tried to buy or sell something there I've gotten quite a few phishing emails. So: -- make sure that any email that *claims* to be from ebay actually is -- never login to ebay or PayPal from an email link. Go to ebay or PayPal yourself, then login -- look out for the suckers who'll send you emails claiming to have a "list of questions" in a Word document that's actually a virus in a batch file (yes, someone thought I was dumb enough to fall for that) Just use your general internet B.S. detector and you'll be fine.
• ThinksTwice: One day I baked a loaf of bread [...] DOH! Hee!
• Always bid on clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.
• For god's sake man, just sign up!
• This morning it occurred to me that if you tell us which percolator parts you're looking for, a fellow monkey may have some extras. In which case there's no need to do the eBay dance a'tall. (Surely SOMEONE here has a dusty percolator sitting unused in their basement?)
• What I'm looking for are the inner parts of one of these: So, basically, the basket, strainer and pump to a Pyrex 9-cup coffee percolator. I understand that the inner works are the first to go, since they're the most fragile and take the brunt of use. Which is why I don't expect to find it anywhere but ebay now, frankly...
• Ooh. Now *I* want that coffee maker. Has percolator lust...
• Just made my first bid... We'll see how it goes.
• Is this the item? Only 41 mins left. And Renault has been outbid... will he go higher... the tension mounts... How sad is it that I am living vicariously through a guy bidding on a coffee pot's innards on ebay? Well the Olympics ain't this much fun!
• Holee shit! That's exactly what I was looking for -- and it didn't come up on the .ca... Thanks, TT!
• Previously, I bid on a whole pot-and-innards, as it turns out that our pot is "missing a screw". It's somewhere, but when it'll turn up -- yeah. Dad put it somewhere, and he's not telling, now...
• Looks like I just bought coffee pot innards. Thanks, TT! Just in the nick of time...
• Well it makes my heart glad to see little cappy strike out on his own into the big bad world of ebay. *sniff* Now, if only he could shape up with the internet dating...
• Well, now he can offer fresh coffee in his profile.
• *inserts joke about grinding beans*
• *adds joke about percolating* *realizes it doesn't work in english. regrets posting*
• *tries to rescue by muttering about transmission of fluids through porous materials* *fails*
• Cream in your coffee?
• *sips storebought coffee, sniggers*
• Need a hand with that plunger?
• Cream in your coffee? Kit, I'll have you know I have my coffee like I have my men -- black. Wait -- that didn't work. Gimmie a minute to come up with something else.
• OK, OK -- let's try this again. Cream in your coffee? No. But I'm always in the mood for some of your sugar, sugar! Wait -- is that right? Can't be... It's "pass the honey, honey; pass the sugar, sugar; pass the tea, bag..." -- what am I missing, here?
• How about, "You can be my Coffee Mate™?"
• Luckily, I've just been outbid on that full-percolator set that I no longer need, so I'm in the clear.
• Now for a Chemex water kettle...
• That settles it, Capt is hooked!
• It's actually "The only cream I want isn't in my coffee", Cappy, but we'll give you a pass since you're obviously well on your way to a full-blown internet shopping addiction.
• You know the best part about that coffeepotpart auction? The little handmade sign with the guy's ebay name taped up behind the parts in the picture.
• The Captain likes his women like he likes his coffee pots...cheap, picked up on the internet, and missing a screw.
• Every morning my uncle would demand coffee and ask for it one way or the other: Hotter than hell and sweeter than your love. Or sweeter than hell and hotter than your love. GramMa would swat him. MonkeyFilter: cheap, picked up on the internet, and missing a screw
• Cappy - don't drink and internet shop. Otherwise you'll end up with a BMW 3 Series and a Thai bride.