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Ebay exposed - not really a bargain market

user1234

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Actually, this is not really surprising to anyone familiar with ebay - it just confirms what we know - that ebay is just a place for small time would be lamer merchants to open their store and get the exposure to large number of shoppers. The problem is that people still perceive ebay as a place which auctions used stuff for dirt cheap, that is a place to find great deals, but in reality this is not really what's mostly going on at ebay.

And the article wrongly says "ebay is not the only game in town" but that is not true in a practical sense, since ebay is really the only place which has a critical mass of shoppers, and that's why they can get away with charging the exorbitant fees thay they have.



 
I only use it for small time purchases ... like 2 xbox games for $10. I like it.

But it's true... power sellers are all over the place and they sell the stuff for the same price it goes for in their "store". And a lot of it is BUY IT NOW only.
 
Yeah, I also use it for small time used stuff like CD, DVDs and games, but today ebay is moslty a mall with stores for power sellers - which are basically mom-and-pop web retailers of the lowest grade (but that's ok on ebay). They basically tap in to the money stream from people which have too much of it (and lots of free time as well). They do not cater for the bargain shoppers.
 
Originally posted by: tk149
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I guess you haven't registered with NYtimes yet - maybe because you're afraid of being tracked down or something. And don't forget to disallow all cookies too....
 
I hate eBay.

All these powersellers buying things in bulk and selling them for barely under retail. What the hell is that.

I can barely find any 'good deals' on eBay anymore.
 
hit a garage sale... buy for pennies... then sell it on ebay for profit. There's your good deal.
 
Originally posted by: faenix
I hate eBay.

All these powersellers buying things in bulk and selling them for barely under retail. What the hell is that.

I can barely find any 'good deals' on eBay anymore.

You're blaming people for making money legitly? Wow, I didn't know that was frowned upon :roll:

Guess I'll turn in my Bronze Powerseller classification now

 
bah, Amazon has that "alternate" merchant option that cuts through the shipping and haggeling crap. I use it all the time for buying used books and software.

<---goes to buy more amazon stock.
 
Originally posted by: aplefka
Text

I like it so much more.

Edit: Forgot to linkify the link


Nice link ,thanks ! I see a inspiron XPS listed for $1200 , now that's a deal ! Unfortunately I already have a notebook, but I'm tempted to replace it.
 
How is it not a good deal when you can get a 2001FP for 570.00 shipped?

And yes, powersellers generally buy a crapload of merchandise and then pawn it off at slightly below retail. But, where would you go to buy below retail?

Try to find a yamaha 5790 for below 650.00. You can't anywhere but ebay...
 
it's not really all to surprising, i use ebay for the rare things i can't find in store, and for those items i'm willing to pay for it.

I've rarely gotten a good deal on ebay, but i get the deals i want.
 
Originally posted by: trmiv
Wow, that couple sold $518,000 worth of goods last year? I wonder what the profit was on that.

10-20%. It's very rare if someone can get more than a 15% margin.
 
Like everything else, you just have to be able to recognize value when buying.
The merchants are doing this so that they can make money too, you know. :roll:
 
i'm a big fan on ebay, all my purchases are made below retail. buying in bulk helps drive those prices down, but also nobody knows all the best places to buy the cheapest goods- so think of ebay as a conglomerate of people who know the best prices across the industry.

if you go to the right ebay sellers though...
 
It depends on what you're buying. On some items, people will bid up the price such that after shipping it is more than retail.

On the other hand, I can find books on ebay that are not longer being printed for dirt cheap.
 
Originally posted by: user1234
Originally posted by: tk149
Registration required.


I guess you haven't registered with NYtimes yet - maybe because you're afraid of being tracked down or something. And don't forget to disallow all cookies too....

Wow, user1234 being a pompous jackass again! What a surprise! Not everyone likes registering for a new site just to read a fvcking article some random person posts on the internet, moron.
 
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