Can someone educate me in the wonderful world of Ebay

[mosschops30]

Have never used it but have been lurking over a few items that are reasonably priced. I dont know where to start though so I need some e-baying tips and also:

how do I know I will receive it?

how do I know what is written is true e.g. 'brand new'?

what if something arrives and is a wreck and not like the picture at all?

TIA

look at the seller's feedback - check they have a few positive feedback entries for things they have SOLD, and if they have any negative ones, check what they were (sometimes people leave neg feedback for silly reasons).

it's highly likely you'll receive anything you buy but you can ask for things to be sent registered if you are unsure. if they do go missing you can claim small amounts back from ebay, or larger amounts if you pay by paypal.

last 2 qs - ebay has a disputes procedure for this kind of thing, but you will find that most sellers are so scared of negative feedback that they will accept returns.

go on, you know you want to!

It's pretty much down to the feedback rating, mosschops. I have been buying on there for 4 or 5 years and only had one problem. You need to check that they have a decent feedback rating with no or very few negatives- if they have negatives then see what the comment was. If it says something like "said brand new but was filthy" then avoid. If you get something that's a wreck then you can try and get a refund but it may be a bit hit and miss. The other thing is to check that it's a real photo, not just one downloaded from the web (white background and so on). You could put links to the things on here and we can talk you through them if that would help?

so if I post the links can you tell me what to do. Like when to bid, is it best to wait until the last minute to bid

Yes, sure. Definitely wait until the last minute. You can just put in a whopping bid early on, but you risk people nibbling away at it.

you are more likely to win if you bid at the last min, but if you're like me, you'll forget and miss it!

anyway yes, post the link

\link{http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUINNY-ZAPP-STEEL-BLUE-WITH-FOOTMUFF-ACCESSORIES_W0QQitemZ7763464857QQcategoryZ66700QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\here}

You can use an electronic sniper if you forget bids, but this may be a bit heavy for now (you should though, SP :))

\link{http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ExDemo-Quinny-ZAPP-pushchair-stroller-RRP-150-in-Black_W0QQitemZ7762746730QQcategoryZ66700QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\and here}

Looks perfect to me- a real photo, no negatives, high feedback over all, 45 as seller. I would go for it, but with 5 bids on already it may go a lot higher, so be prepared.

i like this as its cheap but as you say not a proper photo?

\link{http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ExDemo-Quinny-ZAPP-pushchair-stroller-RRP-150-in-Black_W0QQitemZ7762746730QQcategoryZ66700QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\cant believe i am doing links and ebay}

which one tamum, the first one?
So do I have to open an account with ebay then? I really am a virgin

\link{http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Quinny-Zapp-Steel-Blue-Superb-Condition_W0QQitemZ7761580840QQcategoryZ66700QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\this looks almost perfect}

The second one is an example of not a real photo. I would avoid it on that basis in comparison to the other one.

Yes, sorry, I am behind you- my first post was about the first one, then the second. Off to look at the next one now....

Yup, markandsacha look good too. Haven't sold for a while, so are clearly not making a career out of it!

great so I'll go for those two then. How do I set up to bid for things then?
And what about payment, do I just give them my cc number?

You need to register with eBay in order to bid, and then you need to register with Paypal to be able to pay by credit card. It means you're not having to give out your credit card number to strangers, and gives you some protection. Make sure you don't risk bidding on both at the same time (sorry, don't mean to be patronising, but it's easy to get carried away!)

no thats great any advice I'm grateful for it, otherwisae I'd end up bidding £1000 for a knitted tea cosy from outer mongolia.

So I have set up my account, do I bid now or wait until nearer the time?

With that many bids on I would wait until the last possible minute. The other advantage of doing this is that if you get outbid then you know straight away that you have lost, and can start again with the next best auction. Be prepared to lose some to start with- the other useful thing to do is to look at some auctions for the same thing that have ended, and see how much they go for. It may be loads more than the current bid. I'll try and show you, just a minute...

So you go to "Buy", the Advanced search, then type the name of the thing in the box, then check the "Finished Items" box. You will get a results page like \link{http://search-completed.ebay.co.uk/Quinny-Zapp_W0QQcatrefZC5QQfclZ3QQfisZ2QQfromZR7QQfrppZ50QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQnojsprZyQQpfidZ0QQsacatZQ2d1QQsofocusZbs?GetResult&catref=C5&fcl=3&fis=2&from=R7&frpp=50&fsoo=1&fsop=1&nojspr=y&pfid=0&sacat=-1&sofocus=bs\this} (I do hope; I've got a horrible feeling you might end up signed in as me if you click that) which will give you a better idea of where your top bid should aim.

don't worry tamum, you just get your own ebay details (if you have any) if you click on that link.

I have filled in the register form but havent had a confirmation e-mail. Have asked them to re-send but still not got it, will try and look at what you suggested now

Phew, thanks lummox!

Mosschops, you don't have a spam filter do you? I often find eBay emails in there because they're so colourful and non-work-y looking.

like the idea of a filter that would identify jolly non-worky emails. provided I could set it to filter them in (and filter out everything else).

or you could get a different "you have one new (and jolly) email" message.

:o