• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Whats the difference between Amazon and eBay?

C

Cristatus

Diamond Member
They both offer purchasing goods, while eBay also offers auctioning of goods, but whats to so great about Amazon, and whats so great about eBay?

And why is one preferred over the other?
 
Non-Paypal payment options at Amazon.
More consistent layout at Amazon.
Amazon sells MP3s.
Less shipping cost ripoffs at Amazon, at least in my experience.
Amazon Prime.
 
Amazon you buy stuff and get it. eBay you buy stuff and hopefully get what you were sold. Heaven help you if you sell stuff on eBay, only a matter of time before you get screwed by the great duo of eBay and Paypal.
 
I search both and buy from the best deal (on Ebay I stick to sellers with over 99% rating and mostly negs from stupid buyers). Better or worse is on a per item basis for me.

It's usually Ebay that wins.
 
Ebay is a site where individuals can sell stuff. Ebay does not actually sell stuff.

Amazon is a retailer, they sell stuff.
 
Amazon is on the fast track to joining eBay at the bottom already. It's almost as annoying to search/shop there as it is on eBay now.
 
One difference for buyers, it seems to me, is that Amazon ends up being more like a 'reverse auction'.

That is, instead of buyers competing to outbid each other for a given item, you get sellers competing to undercut each other. Though they usually only undercut each other by one cent at a time.

Personally I usually just go with whichever offers something cheaper. Curiously often people will be selling things on ebay second hand that you can buy cheaper new on Amazon.

There seem to be compulsive bidders on ebay that will snipe just for the joy of winning an auction, even if they end up paying more than the item costs new!
 
This is just my (consumer) perspective: Over the last few years my eBay purchases have diminished while my Amazon buys have skyrocketed. Don't get me wrong, if there is a good buy on something on eBay I will try to snap it up ... it's just that the number of those "good" buys have diminished over time. The changes over the last number of years at eBay has been surprising. EBay's purchase of PP was one major change and the fees involved with selling have increased to a point where I no longer sell things there any more. The pendulum has swung solely towards the buyer at eBay ... putting the seller at risk. Either you don't know if you are actually going to get what you purchased and in the advertised condition (as a buyer) or you are at risk of getting ripped off by PP in a dispute.

Amazon is easy ... you just find what you want and buy it. The prices at Amazon are comparable or lower to that on eBay. My only grudge with them is that their free shipping is slow. I do not belong to A Prime because I do not buy enough to justify it ...
 
One is where you go for cheap HDMI cables and nothing more. The other is where you go for everything else. The amazon experience is simply much better, more product, great prices, better interface, reviews of items, trusted vendor. I only go to Ebay if what I want isn't on amazon, like some weird thing like bug poison.

Although speaking of cables I bought recently for $1.04 shipped from amazon a headphone adapter. How anybody made money on that is beyond me.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Ebay is a site where individuals can sell stuff. Ebay does not actually sell stuff.

Amazon is a retailer, they sell stuff.
Click to expand...
Indeed. I don't even consider the two of them to be in the same league. Buying from individuals instead of a retailer with a solid history (and proper support services) is far too risky a proposition.
 
sniping on ebay really killed it for me.... I shouldn't feel like I need a third party application to bid just to get the best price.

that said, ebay = obscure/vintage items; amazon = everything else
 
Is this really a question? Try returning something to Amazon. Now try doing the same thing with EBay. Amazon is so far ahead in customer friendliness it's not even a competition.

I've bougth about 2 things from Ebay in the last three years. I think I've bought that much from Amazon in the last 2 days.

The only thing Ebay is good for is when you need to get rid of something and you don't want to deal with the tirekicking trash that infest craigslist.
 
loki8481 said:
sniping on ebay really killed it for me.... I shouldn't feel like I need a third party application to bid just to get the best price.

that said, ebay = obscure/vintage items; amazon = everything else
Click to expand...

Sniping makes it fun. I do it manually, so it adds an element of skill. It's like gambling.

I agree with the rest. I've only bought one semi new item on Ebay(a slightly used netbook). Everything else has been old/obscure, and would have been virtually impossible to find locally.
 
Amazon holds or guarantees inventory. If you buy from a 3rd party and get ripped off, you get your money back for sure. If something shows up broken, Amazon replaces it. If something is bothering you about your transaction, you can call them. And most things show up on your door in two days. Plus, Amazon knows what I want to buy and forces me to do it!

Ebay lets any idiot who says he has something to sell, sell it. There's plenty of buyer- and seller-side fraud, but Ebay only really punishes sellers. As a practical matter, you have to use Paypal, which acts like a bank but isn't regulated like one. The UI isn't really meant for casual shopping.

Amazon is where you go for newer stuff, Ebay is where you look for things that you might otherwise want from a yard sale. Both have their place.
 
Amazon has much better service, and on most of the things I'm looking for, far better prices.

Perhaps it's just the items I shop for, but most things I look for on ebay have a starting bid at full retail price and expensive shipping. My last purchase from ebay, about two years back, was a scam. It took over a month to recover my money.
 
Because I know I'm buying legally obtained products from Amazon, while I have no idea if the products I'm buying on eBay are obtained legally?
 
Amazon is awesome. Bought a lot of stuff and never had a problem.

eBay, I've only bought 4 items (buy it now) since Jan 1999. Never sold anything or intend to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top