EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

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JamesB
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

Post by JamesB »

Thanks guys!! I´ll do the Flanders again and say this is an awesome group :D
Michael, I understand. Good point. I also cannot understand why people will prefer Ebay. Neither for buying. Ah OK, this one for the protection, but I´d say that generally speaking I´d feel bad to use the Ebay system as it´s like going to a combat settled so you carry an M60 and the other guy, just a stick. I try also to carry the attention to myself. I include my email and a kind note with my stuff, people see you are a reliable guy, yet very few contact me directly and they buy again on Ebay. Some even say they know f1m. They can find same stuff here (BTW, yes Mike from UK it´s me!! :lol: :lol: ).
Stu, yours might be the best example of this crazy thing. I fear the "NO RETURNS" and "SOLD AS IS" no longer is valid.
Jordan2.0 wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 4:22 pm Well J,it is a very different world than when we became friends almost 20 years ago ?? A lot has changed also on eBay,it is not fun anymore I have to agree..alternative ? Nope,I think the best days of buying and selling are behind us.Sadly...
Alex.
Ah, old friend, :D you are right. But let´s be positive. Maybe the % of bad experiences was similar. Just that now all the shyt goes to the same part (seller) I have the theory that all power enhancement systems end up being used by the human being for bad purposes, and end up maximizing our stupidity and its effects. Happened-happens with energy types, weapons, transports and surely with internet.
BTW I am jsut now selling the VERY first thing I bought on Ebay. A 1/600th Airfix Prinz Eugen. And I say "I am selling" because the guy who bought it is doubting "there might be parts missing" and might give it back. I am sure it´s complete, Good Lord!! I would NEVER say "I THINK" something´s missing before checking. Where´s politeness gone???

Daniel, I see your point too. Read above, in fact! :lol: surely garage sales and hobby swaps are a good thing (lucky you 43d Michael!!) but they are not allowed here.
Tyrone your diea looks good, but yes might have the problems sky suggests.

There´s something relatively good here in Spain. It started as a "meet you round the corner" slae contact APP, but they ahve ended up offering a system so the buyer pays same shipping cost as with Correos, but that includes a deal where he pays, Walla retains the payment, the seller goes with a code bar to Correos where they label the box, the thing arrives, the buyer says OK, and money finally arrives to the seller. If he does not like, he returns for free fr both parts, and then reverse. When the seller recovers it 100% OK, money is given back. Fine, right? 8)

Meanwhile a guy with feedback 6 can tell "I don´t like" an item perfectly described and I lose time, aptience, and the cost of having it shipped back home. That´s what Ebay offers a 17 year, 600 feedback seller. Sigh....
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

Post by Joaquin »

I sell and buy at ebay frequently and didn't get any problem since 10 years minimum. I only ship with insurance. May be I am the lucky one but really think that most of the people is honest. The real problem is ebay itself. Fees are high and be careful if selling to someone of a country with different currency. Fees are significantly higher,
I have tried also some buy/sell groups at Facebook. Good experiences but is much more difficult to sell because of few amount of members
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capri-schorsch
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

Post by capri-schorsch »

Same to me Joaquin.
After 16 years of buying and selling and more than 1100 feedback points I am still there.
Once had an issue at the beginning of my eBay time. That's all.
Even as a seller I had some money freezing from PayPal. But that's was problems with the shipping time from DHL. I sell around the world, but some countries are on my blacklist.
Some buyer from overseas open up a case on ebay 5 days after they bought something from me in Germany. But these are only a few so far.

One package gone lost in these 16 years. But not really lost. I received it 5 months later but PayPal gave me my money back as I uploaded all the shipping documents only 3 weeks after the buyer started the complaint against me.
When I received the package 5 month later I just sold it again.

Of course the fee's are high. And of course the new money to eBay and than to me thing sucks. But only that now my wife get her hands on my modeling money instead I got it on my PayPal account. 😢😢

But overall there is no other place where you can get the attention of more potential buyers.
Amazon marketplace is charging a lot more fee than ebay does.

Regards Christian
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

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capri-schorsch wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 12:52 pm Of course the fee's are high. And of course the new money to eBay and than to me thing sucks. But only that now my wife get her hands on my modeling money instead I got it on my PayPal account. 😢😢
Ah!!! that´s cruel reality to, Christian!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

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JamesB wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:00 am I include my email and a kind note with my stuff, people see you are a reliable guy, yet very few contact me directly and they buy again on Ebay. Some even say they know f1m.
Yep. I included notes, and explained that they would save on average 30-40% by purchasing direct from me and that I had a MUCH larger selection on my website. I even had those notes translated into French, Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese. And on my sales receipts I pointed out the extra fees they were paying by going through eBay that they would not pay if they bought direct. Yet less than 10% of return buyers would do so through my website.
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

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indycals wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:38 pm Yep. I included notes, and explained that they would save on average 30-40% by purchasing direct from me and that I had a MUCH larger selection on my website. I even had those notes translated into French, Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese. And on my sales receipts I pointed out the extra fees they were paying by going through eBay that they would not pay if they bought direct. Yet less than 10% of return buyers would do so through my website.
Yes, I'd say I am also at 10%... Internet, human dumbness magnifier!!! :lol: :lol:
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Re: EBAY ALTERNATIVES??

Post by BMW »

Its not just dumbness though.
eBay has, in fairness, lots of come back for buyers, whereas buyers only have the credit companies to fall back on if a sale through a website goes bad.

Not that I like eBay too much either.
As a buyer it can be a bit annoying when something becomes rare, the scalpers start charging 300 euros/dollars for a model kit.
If eBay did not exist, those kits would still sit on the shelf of model shops at normal prices, as the demand for them cannot be that great.
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