My brother said that Ebays price on almost everything was unusually high across the board .
So many people are talking about buying lights on Ebay lately .
BUT I agree prices on almost everything seems about 20% higher on Ebay
Agree ..Disagree..or don't care ..??
What is the appeal of Ebay..?
the thrill of the hunt or the possibility of a super deal ??
speak up or forever hold your peace .
Usually the eBay item will arrive faster.
Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Just be a smart shopper and do some research. That said, I've purchased hundreds of items from ebay over the past 10 years.
Right in both cases. I've only ever bought very inexpensive lights from eBay. I'm generally wary of buying from HK dealers on eBay. I'm much more comfortable with Manafont and Solarforce-Sales.
A while ago there was a lot of interest on the Other Place about a 99 cent AA eBay light with reverse-clickie and lanyard. I bought 4 (still have them) and there are all really good. I would put that in the "Super Deal" category.
Like Lang said, it usually arrives faster. For me that's really the only reason I'll try ebay for flashlights. All of my ebay flashlight purchases have arrived in 10 days or less.
Prices have gradually increased because of two core factors: Increased demand and higher fees. The huge Chinese sellers weren't really affected as much by the increases so their 'Buy it Now" prices haven't really changed, however, many lower volume sellers have been forced to adapt to the nearly 60% increase in fees. A lot of these sellers claim ebay was merely catering to the huge Chinese sellers because of how the fee changes were structured. It stirred up much of the ebay community and caused a lot of sellers to leave. For a lot of the stuff I buy (non-flashlight related) I put ebay and Amazon on the same plain for the most part.
Now if only eCRATER could gain more popularity then we might see the likes of ebay and Amazon marketplace forced to lower fees. ZERO selling fees has got to have some impact on list price. Although they cater more to the small online biz format as opposed to the individual who wants to sell personal belongings here and there.
I can save a small fortune on some items such as spring gate lanyard clips and other specialty craft items. It's all about shopping smart and knowing a good deal when you find it. There are still tons of bargains on ebay.
I agree eBay is usually more expensive on just about anything. Basically you are matching up multiple buyers for only one item at a time, so the seller has the advantage and the buyers have to compete. Like any place (cpfmarketplace, anyone) if you don't know what the price should be, you'll end up paying too much. But sometimes there are good deals on eBay or eBay has stuff that nobody else is selling. I generally avoid eBay unless I just have to.
Certain items are really inexpensive on ebay. For example, cell phone cases, chargers and batteries (pretty much all accessories). Nimh & 18650 cases. Cordless phone batteries. Replacement car key fobs (forget the dealer). TDS meters. RO filters and membranes. Garage door capacitors. Coin cells. SLA batteries for scooters. Trustfire X9 [:)] And more!
For just about everything else, I goto Amazon.
I rarely bid on ebay items. Not worth the hassle. Peruse buy it now listings. Low enough, it's purchased.
Never could figure out how a person could "win" an item; you may win the bid, but still have to pay for the damned thing. Don't have time to prime buy-bots.
It's much more fun to hangout here (or other decadent forums), and enjoy wasting my time...
I've been using ebay since 2002, and have found many great deals. Here's a few recent purchases:
However, not all transactions have been good. I purchased a Tank007 E3 for $18.50 from Hong Kong seller. Three weeks later, I receive a Tank007 TK-506. They look similar, but the TK-506 has 1 mode (E3 has 5 modes).
From my experience, the best deals on ebay are auctions ending on Friday night. If you don't like auctions, look for "buy it now" on the last days of the month.
I don't use ebay these days. Years ago I used to buy and sell a few items on there. Now for the type of thing I would be tempted to go there for I end up going to Amazon or Manafont or Tmart (rarely DX) and perhaps GoingGear.
Ok MR B, I have the following in my ebay watch list.
I can BIN a Sipik 68 for 20% off DX.
I can BIN a ITP A3 Upgraded shipped where elsewhere you must pay shipping.
I can BID on a TrustFire X9 for $33.50. That's the cheapest anywhere atm.
But yes, I agree that most of the newer lights are gonna be more expensive on ebay.
Some you can bid on and pray of course. :)
Here is why I dont use Ebay much anymore: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/3881?page=2#comment-80788
I don't think you can generalise. There are good ebay sellers and bad. Its just a case of doing your research both on the light being offered and the seller. I can think of quite a few ebay sellers that I trust just as much as I trust suppliers like DX, MF and KD.
I did not generalize. I was specific about one seller. He is an example of the bad ones. He has
one shill who bids on all his lights, so he is sure its sold at a certain price. I think its only fair
that he does not want his items go for cheap, but then he should use "Buy it now" not the
"Auction" format. What he does is fraud and its against Ebays own rules, and its a disgrace that
they allow it to happen.
My time does not allow me to do a serious study of all sellers. That´s why I dont use Ebay as
much anymore. I dont want to be cheated in a rigged "auction"!
If you have an example of a honest seller who dont use shills, please tell me.
Sorry, Nautic, but you did say, "Here is why I dont use Ebay much anymore:.....", surely that is generalising? It is suggesting that all or at least most of the sellers are like the bad one you had cited? However, you have clarified now that you don't have the time for research, so I see why you said it.
I think it is probably true that many sellers use shills for auctions. So auctions can be misleading. However, I can't see how that has any effect on 'Buy It Now' offers. Certainly sellers like topofking, cyberport888 and 365Digital, to name just three, I have found to be trustworthy when it comes to Buy-It-Now; although I do agree that even some of those appear to be a bit naughty when it comes to auctions. Believe me though that that is the nature of auctions in general, not just on the web........
No. No. Good.
If specs are true, as a principle I should trust all Buy It Now offers, as I know what I buy and for
what price!
Auctions involving shill-bidders is not an auction but fraud!
I agree it gives you a bad impression and I don't blame you. However, the same must be said for the likes of DD who voluntarily allows (or creates) fake reviews. At least ebay discourages shill bidding and is supposed to have the software in place to punish sellers who use it. You always have a choice how much you want to spend bidding on an item. Regardless of shill bidding it still sells for fair auction value. They can't make you spend more and in the end it will likely cause them more harm than good. The only negative for you is it can waste your time, which, yes is annoying. With the dishonest Chinese retail sites you pay their price and hope the information they gave you is correct and truthful. At least the feedback on ebay is real and you know you can trust it. And I'm not defending ebay because I think they lost touch with the very people who built them up to what they are today. I'm only defending the auction concept they use, which still revolutionized online buying and selling. But I still understand your position and support your decision.
The one thing that DX does right is allow customers to comment right under the product and they do allow negative comments as I've left some. I'm talking about the discussion section at the bottom of the page.
The review section in the middle of the page generally is left alone as well as long as you don't start out bashing the product right away.They also have the forums where you can say pretty much anything.
Ebay has the seller rating but nothing for the product. It may compare to DD but I don't use them either.
I would use them for something other than flashlights or other mass dealer items. Unfortunately that's pretty much the direction they are going in these days.
I did get my X9 with two batteries and charger for $34.