posted on June 18, 2009 11:49:16 AM new
I'd give it about a 2. My recommendation for most my friends would be to search other sites first (Amazon being the top one) and to use eBay only as a last resort if they can't find it anyplace else. Ebay is really only good for finding mid-higher priced unique items (and it's not great for that now either). It has too much overhead for the sellers to be competitive with everyday common items, or even inexpensive rarer items.
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posted on June 18, 2009 12:12:33 PM new
I would say about a 3. A few years ago my answer would have been 10. I usually tell them Google it first but it depends on the item.
posted on June 18, 2009 01:40:48 PM new
Pretty open ended question. Depends on the person, depends on what they are shopping for, etc. I might give a recommendation of anything from 0 - 10,depending on situation.
Maybe if we knew what you were getting at more valid information could be provided.
posted on June 18, 2009 02:27:37 PM new
I would say about a 4 or 5. There is very little downside to buying on ebay these days - it's selling that is risky.
posted on June 18, 2009 02:43:41 PM new
I would give it a ZERO,I dont want my friends to blame me for a bad experience.
And chances are they will have a bad experience if they are not familiar with Ebay and think they are getting something nice.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on June 18, 2009 05:07:07 PM new
It depends if they are buying new or used, general goods or clothing or electronics.
If your buying used goods and you can't get it locally to you via craigslist (and will have to pay someone to ship it), I wouldn't waste someone's time telling them to look anywhere else than eBay. - assuming there isn't a specialty site somewhere that deals with nothing but selling that type of item, though then there's usually going to be a big price hike.
posted on June 18, 2009 10:26:04 PM new
I WOULD ALSO SAY A 3. THEY ARE SLOWLY SUCKING WORSE EACH YEAR. IT'S EMBARRASING FOR US SELLERS. I USE TO SELL 80/90% OF MY ITEMS. NOW EVEN BEFORE THE BAD ECOMOMY I SELL ABOUT 30% AT BEST. WHY ? ALL THE BS THAT EBAY IS NOW HANDING US AS SELLERS. I HAVE BEEN A SELLER SINCE 1998. I HAVE BEEN CLEAN EVERY YEAR. NOW OUT OF NOWHERE LAST WEEK THEY SUSPENDED ME FOR 14 DAYS FOR "SHILL BIDDING". WHY ? BECAUSE A BUYER THAT HAD BOUGHT FROM ME IN THE PAST BIDDED ON ONE OF MY ITEMS. SHE DID NOT WIN THE ITEM BUT THEY PRECIEVED HER AS "RUNNING THE ITEM UP" AND SHILL BIDDING. ALTHOUGH SHE HAD ONLY BID ONCE ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE AUCTION AND QUIT BIDDING. THEY FELT SHE WAS A "FRIEND". BELIEVE IT OR NOT FRIENDS CAN'T BID ON YOUR ITEMS ! WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU SELL SOMETHING AND YOUR "FRIEND" CAN'T BUY IT. THEY TOOK ALL 40 OF MY AUCTIONS DOWN AND DID NOT PAY ME MY FEES BACK DEEMING ME A CHEATER ! NO SENCE GOING ON AND ON THEY JUST PLAIN DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS THE SELLERS. ONLY THE BUYERS. CAN I HAVE SOME AGREEMENTS OR CHALLANGES HERE GANG ?
posted on June 19, 2009 01:54:42 AM new
The way I think about it is if eBay was a person would I become business partners with "him"?
My criteria for a business parter are:
honest
ethical
reliable
hard working
knowledgable
mentally balanced
ebay flunks on at least 4 counts.
I have pushed more and more of my business away from ebay and onto my own site.
Warren Buffett has often said "You can't do good business with bad people" I think he is correct. eBay is NOT "good people".
posted on June 19, 2009 06:26:11 AM new
Dukey,
did your friend ever use your PC to sign on to her account on Ebay?
Or you use her pc to sign on to your Ebay account?
Do you two have a common friend or friends who use hers or your PC to sign on to Ebay and get suspended?
Or did any of the above's alter ego sign on each other pc ?
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on June 19, 2009 06:42:13 AM new
ebabes said-
I would say about a 4 or 5. There is very little downside to buying on ebay these days - it's selling that is risky.
////////////////////////
I beg to differ,I think it is the other way round,for example-
some one who does not know how to navigate on Ebay may fall for the following-new without tag,looks like ??? silk,diamond,jade,ruby,works just fine on my end,not my fault if you dont buy insurance,etc etc.
I bough a 3 feet HDML cable from a wholesaler on Ebay,nice description and picture and promise lifetime guarantee.
Well,it did not work well on day one and finally conked out,no response to my emails,and too late to file complaint or give bad feedback.
I also found out many of those used cable modems for sale on Ebay are sold by deadbeats and the new owners have some explanation to do when they tried to hook up the modem.
There are also electronic stuff which look new,never open etc which the seller found in dubious places,they dont work and or work and stop working and the owners dont even know enough to explain why?
And then there is 'jade',just because it is a green stone it does not mean it is jade!
And then some pictures are terrible,who want to buy a dress all wrinkled and lying on the floor? or next to a garbage can or vacuum cleaner or bathroom fixture?
Once a lady has a picture sideway and when asked to correct it,she said she cant ,as the picture resides on another PC and she cant get to it/
Of course,you will say we get what we pay for,but in the long run,it is better to go to a store and buy the goods there .
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on June 19, 2009 08:42:10 AM new
It would really depend on what they were looking for and the sellers feedback. I would say 4 or 5. I still buy on ebay but I haven't sold there for almost 2 years. Ebay has left a bad taste in my mouth and I would most likely recommend Amazon (I have been buying a lot on there), or google searching. I am NOT an ebay fan, anymore (can you tell)?
posted on June 19, 2009 09:47:14 AM new
I received a survey last month with that question "would I refer a friend" and gave ebay a 2.
"How I feel about eBay" and "would I refer a friend" are 2 different subjects in my book and to keep from writing a book, I will try to stick to the "would I refer a friend" comment.
I still buy on ebay but I know the pitfalls and risks I take in doing so.
Refer a stranger, sure why not? Everyone needs to learn the perils of buying on-line.
Referrer a friend or colleaque? Not very likely anymore. I have found it takes up too much of my time educating them about what to look for (seller feedback,total cost (price plus shipping), scams, site software issues, how to set up their accounts, etc).
And for those of you who think buying on Amazon is any safer, I have to ask why you feel that way?
True, the Amazon website is a cleaner interface (if you ignore that annoying need to sign-in a dozen times during your shopping experience). Buying direct from the Amazon warehouse is usually ok. But once you wonder into the Amazon Marketplace, it has the same perils as ebay.
Do you honestly think the scammers and those with poor customer service are only operating on ebay?
Amazon, Yahoo stores, individual webstores, no place is a safe shopping zone for the unwary internet shopper.
posted on June 19, 2009 10:12:27 AM new
I usually buy from Amazon Warehouse. Honestly, I have never had too many bad experiences buying anything online (compared to how much I purchase). My distaste for ebay is from my selling experience and that spills over onto how much I would recommend someone to purchase there.
posted on June 19, 2009 10:34:19 AM new
The guy who sold me a 3 feet HDML cable has his own site,so I cant just blame Ebay for his cable.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on June 19, 2009 12:17:28 PM new
As a buyer, I am very happy. Never have had a bad experience and would recommend the site to anyone as long as they were smart enough to do a careful search / research, which is prudent in any buying situation.
As a seller, I am very unhappy. Too many rule changes, restrictions, etc.
posted on June 19, 2009 12:43:56 PM new
As a further thought, I have encountered more "scammers" on the buyer's side of the aisle then the seller. I do not buy a lot on Ebay, but everything I have bought has been as described, shipped fairly promptly with reasonable shipping costs. Maybe I have just been lucky (knocking on wood).
As a seller, I have encountered many con artists. From people trying to extort refunds, claiming damage when there wasn't any, attempting to return items they did not purchase from me, switching items with flaws for the flawless items I sent, threats of negative feedback, etc.
posted on June 19, 2009 02:01:03 PM new
People who have the $dough$ to buy should not have to research and research to find out if the seller is telling the truth,learn to read between the lines if new is really new and like new and mint and okay and no problem and pack the item in pizza box or sanitary napkin box or torn Walmart bag.
Can you imagine people trooping over to Bestbuy.com,NiemanMarcus.com,Tiffany.com and wonder if they are telling the truth when they said it is sterling silver,18k Gold or made by such designer?
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on June 19, 2009 03:23:41 PM new
Can you imagine getting items for less than half of retail at Neiman or Tiffany's, I can't.
I keep hearing about the mysterious pizza box deliveries, etc. I have NEVER had a bad experience like that in over 10 + years on Ebay.
By research, I am talking about making sure you are getting a good deal. I have heard about problems with BestBuy.com and when you return there may be a restocking charge.
posted on June 19, 2009 05:04:06 PM new
Tiffany does not sell their own knockoff in their store.
Nordstrom has a restocking fee too.
But the reasons why we return our merchandise to Macy or Bestbuy or Nordstrom or Nieman Marcus are often not the same reason we return the item to an Ebay seller!
Some shoppers take advantage of the stores,there is one person years ago posted on this forum that he will buy a scanner from Bestbuy ,used it many times a day and then take it back to another Bestbuy store and get a new one free,claiming the first one is defective.
I dont remember what he sells,but whatever he sells,he uses the scanner to make pictures.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on June 19, 2009 06:13:57 PM new
Have not recieved pizza boxes with ants yet but I have received new expensive merchandise that was packed in used meat boxs, cereal boxes, dirty Walmart bags, etc. All of them made me cringe and wonder what type of trashy people I had purchased from.
What ticked me off the most was I usually paid a shipping fee to receive this trash.
I have no problem with people reusing clean white or brown packing boxes but for pete's sake, trash is trash and I do not want to see it holding my new stuff.
posted on June 19, 2009 07:08:48 PM new
Not what it used to be for sure. In the old days it was like browsing through the attic of an old house. Suddenly there that train set, Barbie, doll, ring, car, necklace you always wanted. Now its too commerical and there are still way to many scammers.
posted on June 22, 2009 09:48:44 PM new
Okay. The reason why I asked this question the way I did is because eBay has stated publicly they are adopting net promoter score methodology and have even tied some executive compensation to it.
What is net promoter score methodology, you ask? (Oh, go ahead. Ask.)
From Wikipedia:
"Companies obtain their Net Promoter Score by asking customers a single question on a 0 to 10 rating scale: "How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?". Based on their responses, customers can be categorized into one of three groups: Promoters (9-10 rating), Passives (7-8 rating), and Detractors (0-6 rating). The percentage of Detractors is then subtracted from the percentage of Promoters to obtain a Net Promoter score. A score of 75% or above is considered quite high."
So, if you get this question in a survey (as LtRay apparently did) know that your rating actually has an effect on bonuses.
One thing eBay has never understood is that the buyer and the seller sets overlap quite a bit. If they're surveying buyers, what are the odds that a buyer's response to this question is going to be untainted by his/her experience as a seller?
posted on June 23, 2009 04:09:27 AM new
Fluff after reading your explanation I would give ebay a 3. I have pretty much given up selling on eBay and haven't bought anything in almost 2 years. I don't recommend it to anyone.
