ebay vs. HR boards, my idiosyncratic opinion

H

hungovermorning

Dr. Caveman.
This is a ramble, so be warned, but I feel more obligated to only sell good stuff on these boards for lower prices. I never "ditch" a piece of gear on here or jack up the price to make the most money. I like that a lot about these boards, with extremely few exceptions, everybody is a pretty decent person with a bad case of G.A.S. (gear aquisition syndrome) and I'd feel horrible if I sold them crap or took advantage of them. Anyone else feel this way?
 
I personally prefer to buy on eBay off of someone from the board or TapeOp, or other boards. I like knowing the history of a person, and I like the added feedback of eBay. I've been ripped off on this board, and have bought broken gear on eBay, and have bought gear on this board that is in way worse condition than stated, so to have both sources of info seems the best way to me. I'm willing to pay a little extra for that peace of mind.

The way I see it, the more info I have available to me, and the more comfortable I am buying from someone, the better. If I have to pay a little more to have a little more comfort, then it is worth it to me. Likewise, you can't expect me to pay a premium for my used gear and then sell it for peanuts to be a nice guy. Everyone I buy from is trying to get the most out of their gear, as they should. I don't fault people for that. I don't go to the car store and offer to pay sticker price for a car. On the flip side, I don't want to sell my gear for less than it's worth, when I paid full value for it on eBay or from a dealer. I just don't think it's fair to expect me to give a huge discount to someone who I probably don't know anyway.

If someone doesn't want to pay the premium that eBay gets for gear, then they should just avoid eBay, and hope that the gear they're looking for will show up on these message boards someday. If you want your gear now, with feedback and other things to go off of to help ensure you don't get ripped, then pay a little more and buy on eBay. I don'y see a problem either way. Live and let live I say.
 
I've gotten great deals and dealt with nice people on this board. The problem I have is that I can't sell anything here to save my life. I will list stuff here for 10-15% less than I will get on eBay and get no interest. It's frustrating, but I ain't gonna lower prices no more than that. I still tend to list stuff here first . . . sort of like Charlie Brown trying to kick that football again :(
 
Long time browser, but just posted my first item...the 1212M. No bytes so I'll probably send it on to ebay in a little while. But, here, I feel like the people selling have treated the equipment with some respect...ebay is a crapshoot. But, I guess you take your chances in both locations.
 
What I like about selling on forums/boards is the simplicity; no fees, no middleman. Thus, I can save myself and my fellow board-members a few bucks. If there's no interest within 2 weeks, then I'd just put it on eBay.

-In order to build seller's credibility and gain buyers' trust, I recommend people to create a free feedback account (such as Heatware). Just leave feedback for each other after every transaction.
 
mshilarious said:
I will list stuff here for 10-15% less than I will get on eBay
Click to expand...

Yeah, but e-bay buyers will often pay 90-99% of the cost of a new item for a used one, which I fail to understand. My personal e-bay policy is 75-80% (including shipping) of the cost of the lowest new price I can find is my max. I think that's a fair trade for the risk of buying a used item from an unknown source, sans warranty. However, when I see those SM7B's going on e-bay for $285-300 (+ $15 shipping) when I can get one new from fullcompass for $313, I'm not biting.

The funny thing is, I've gotten hella-better deals on this board than I typically find on e-bay and I feel like I know the people I'm buying from better. That is, there's less risk involved, imo, and stuff is often cheaper.

And quit bitching...I bought your mics...off e-bay. ;) :D
 
I feel exactly like you do. I've bought several mics from folks here and traded a few as well. I bought my current console from a member (thanks Jeremy!). About the only thing I can't bring myself to do is SELL any of my toys. :eek:
 
Track Rat said:
About the only thing I can't bring myself to do is SELL any of my toys. :eek:
Click to expand...

I did. And I have to say that the 5 transactions I made were a blessing. Although, I had to pay fees with paypal, I would've paid more fees going through eBay. Having the classifieds forum was a wonderful way to get my product directly to the pool of potential buyers. It was very important to me that I make the buyers happy. Rep is all I got here and I don't want to tarnish it. I kept the folks informed and shipped within 24 hours of payment. I was honest about the condition of my gear. They appreciated it and I appreciated their positive comments on the good guys list. Sure, they took a chance on me and I took a chance on them, but sometimes risks must be taken to get good deals on good products. I'm very glad that all turned out well for me and I appreciate that this forum is here for good, honest folks like me and those 5 buyers.

I miss my gear though. :(
 
yeah, i think the "trick" to it here is to "know" the person you're buying from or selling to. the "good guys" list goes a long way towards that.

but the best way to mitigate your risk is simply to only deal with those folks you've established "relationships" with. folks you "know", have swapped PMs or emails with, etc.

and i too have bought a number of things here....and have only managed to sell one. i've got a Rane MS-1a for cheap if anyone wants it. :D

just my $.023


cheers,
wade
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top