what do you think about buying stuff off ebay?

[Elvis2]

I'm getting antsi over a new video card purchase (X800 XT) and there's a guy on egay that say's that he has twenty or so and the bidding's starting at $500.00 on 3 day auctions. He has 30+ positive evals with 1 negative but he's been dealing primarily in nickel and dime marine parts. I sent an email to him to get a phone number so I could verify it is indeed him but what else can I do? I got burned along with a number of other people (totalling 30 grand) over a new 9700 Pro a couple of years ago from ebay so I'm definitely leary. I dunno....maybe I should should just learn patience and wait until a reputable vendor get's them in stock.

 

[Crusty]

I would wait, and not risk it.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: MCrusty
I would wait, and not risk it.

 

[her209]

I would make him ship first.

 

[Elvis2]

I would make him ship first

that would be great but i don't think they would do that at ebay

 

[isekii]

make sure that in his auction it doesn't state.. "My email box is full so email to another address" or something similar. If it does.. most likely it's a hijacked Ebay auction.

 

[Elvis2]

The guy hasn't answered my second email (he answered the first one right away concerning payment options) so screw him...I can wait

 

[Elvis2]

Well, I did get a response:

Randy yes you are right. all that boat stuff I needed to get out of my yard. I just started with Ebay and I have a tax ID# and the money is in electronics. You will see me selling alot more electronics then anything Else.I got the cards from ATI and it took three mouths to get them.

Randy Burr <bu.rr@gte.net> wrote:
hi Anthony,

I hate to bother you but I got burned buying a video card from an established ebay'r a couple of years ago ( myself along with a number of other people to the tune of about 30 grand). He had been dealing in nickel and dime pet supplies and then all of a sudden got into high dollar computer video cards. I'm a little gun shy here shelling out $500.00+ to a seller that looks like he's more into marine supplies. How did you wind up with$10,000.00 in video cards when no one else has them in quantity? Also, do you have a phone number you can be reached at? Again, I don't mean to be a jerk, just trying to put my mind at ease over what I consider, a big investment. I hope you understand.
Thanks,
Randy

What do you guys think?

 

[axelfox]

i buy stuff all the time. Stuff is good. Just don't get the bad stuff.

 

[Atomicus]

Don't overpay for something you can get cheaper and from a retailer.

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

Originally posted by: Atomicus
Don't overpay for something you can get cheaper and from a retailer.

final answer? yes.

wtf do you feel compelled to spend > $500 on a dang video card?

 

[SilentRavens]

Originally posted by: Atomicus
Don't overpay for something you can get cheaper and from a retailer.

Recently, I have noticed that people who use ebay don't check the retail price and I have seen auctions for electronics end at higher prices than the piece costs new retail.

 

[Elvis2]

Recently, I have noticed that people who use ebay don't check the retail price and I have seen auctions for electronics end at higher prices than the piece costs new retail.

Retail on the card is $499.00 + tax but you can't get one locally. This guy's actually cheaper even with shipping.

 

[bockchow]

do not buy electronics off of auction sites ever. i'd trust a guy selling crap out of the trunk of his car long before i'd trust an ebay seller.

 

[jcuadrado]

dont do it...if you are already worrying about forget it..pay a few bucks more when they are readily available.

but $500 for a video card man....damn! Seems excessive to me for a video card.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: bockchow
do not buy electronics off of auction sites ever. i'd trust a guy selling crap out of the trunk of his car long before i'd trust an ebay seller.

I sold a few electrical items on ebay. Only had one person complain , he claimed the item did NOT work and asked for half back. pfft

i have sold a few NON-working motherboards that went pretty high. One was working but had a bad bios. a 8kte3pro (i think) went for $20 heh.

 

[RobCur]

500 for video card, lmao. I couldn't even afford a 64mb video card, let alone 32mb

 

[Windogg]

The guy is using a phished account. Cellphones are the biggest scams that use this technique right now.

Always be very wary of people who sell things like knitting supplies or pottery suddenly offering 30 very high end pieces of electronics out of the blue. A major tip off is the fact the items are usually not publically available yet.

Do a search for his other auctions and you will probably see him selling the GeForce 6800s, the latest Nokia and the latest Motorola phones.

 

[Dedpuhl]

I bought a 9800 Pro (retail, sealed) last year and it's still going strong. The person I got it from had about 10-12 others listed. I THINK he had a lot of positives and no negatives, but I am not sure.

I'd just be careful when dealing with ebay sellers.

 

[Elvis2]

I'm blowin' this deal off. I'm in no hurry. The one I have is fine for my auto cad and I'm sure it'll run doom III ok.

 

[txxxx]

Originally posted by: GtPrOjEcTX

Originally posted by: Atomicus
Don't overpay for something you can get cheaper and from a retailer.

final answer? yes.

wtf do you feel compelled to spend > $500 on a dang video card?

Nice to see marketing pulling those suckers in

 

[thatsright]

For me, personally I wouldn't buy any high end electronic stuff on ebay. Stuff like iPods, 6800 Ultra card, Sound card, speakers. It just isn't worth it as there may be problems by the time you get it if you need warranty support from the manufacture. And when you go to the store, you know exactly what your getting as you hold it in your hand. Or if you order from a reputable store online, you shouldn't have any problems.

Though of course, this doesn't mean I won't sell brand new sealed retail Vid cards on eBay like I have done in the past. I sold a Radeon 9800XT just as it came out on eBay, and got $550 for it last September. Not too shabby.

But it's CRAZY to spend nearly a THOUSAND DOLLARS for a Vid card!!

BTW, dude if your gunning for a X800 Pro, take a look at the 6800GT. And this is coming from a hard core ATI guy!! LOL A lot more performance over the X800 Pro, though it may take a bit longer to find one over the X800.

Just my $0.03