is Ebay worth it?

J

Jerry Kahn

New member
It seems to me that the miniscule savings offered in most of the deals in audio equipment on Ebay is just too insignificant to bother with. For instance, what is the sense of getting, say, a used digital recorder for $700 on Ebay, when the same item new at SamAsh sells for $800? Certainly there is extra risk buying this way, plus you usually don't get a warrenty; there's no friendly salesman you can go and sit on if there's a problem... What's up with this? Am I missing something?
 
Actually, let me amend that a little. For old gear I think Ebay is ok-- I bought a Roland Space Echo, a Waldorf Pulse, and a Realistic Reverb unit on Ebay, and I am pleased with all of them. I also bought a Neuman Mic new on Ebay that works fine, and I am happy with it as well-- although I do have a bit of a "peace of mind" issue with it, which I wouldn't have if I bought it at SamAsh for 20% more. I guess it was a good deal. But most of the current/slightly used gear I check out on Ebay doesn't even give you 15% off of the store price. That doesn't make much sense to me.

Comments?
 
EBAY OBOY!

While it is true that often the bidding gets too high and the item being sold is no longer a bargain; once in a while you can get a smoking deal on used or like new instruments.

I bought two Audiotechnica AT3525 condensor mics for $165.00 ea. They were new in the box and I love them for vocals and accoustic instruments. I just won the bid on an old Fender lap steel for $65.00. I have bought a few other items for the studio and I am very pleased with EBAY.

There's is also a sense of excitement while bidding, and it's a little addicting!

But You have to know what an Item is worth.... then take the plunge.

Dom Franco
 
Yeah, eBay can be good, but DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE BIDDING EXCITEMENT! Otherwise, you'll definitely pay more than you originally wanted.

The best way to bid is to "snipe." Sniping means placing a proxy bid in the last minute or so (there's even more in depth strategies on this). That way you can decide what the max you will pay will be and leave it at that. Also, it reduces the chances of someone countering your bid.

For what it's worth, I picked up a Finalizer Plus 24bit (not 96k) for $799. Not bad considering it originally went for around $2500.


Matt
 
I can't complain about e-bay.

Got a brand new shure sm57 for $130 CDN (they go at local shops here for almost $200 plus 15% tax).

Also got a beautiful 86 Strat (Jap Contemporary) for $350 US. That's a steal in my books.

Check out what you're bidding on, as well as the bidder's feedback history, and you should be ok.
 
There's is also a sense of excitement while bidding, and it's a little addicting!
Click to expand...

Took the words right out of my newly valium infested gord, Dom!
I have a blast on Ebay, but sometimes I get a little excited and start hyperventilating, so my wife has put me on a light valium protocol.:D

Seriously, I have made some extremely good buys on Ebay. The thing is, there's a certain amount of patience involved and it boils down to how long you're willing to wait for The Deal.
I've said in other posts that while a lot of retailers don't believe that consumers are capable of determing current street prices, and just throw items out at catalog prices, there are those that realize that they have a new media of exposure, and that volume sales by virtue of price slashing adds up as quick as the less frequent sale at full pop.
Closer to the end of the month seems to be the best time to start looking for items from smaller retailers and pawn shops. Everybody has a P&L, and sometimes they get desperate when there's is looking thin at months end!
Doesn't have to be risky, either. No feedback=no buy. Let others build a new seller's reputation. If a seller has a lesser feedback than I feel good about, I'll email them for an address and phone number. If that pans out, my next consideration is how far away they are if things "fall apart" after the sale.
I'm not shy about contacting someone before the auction really gets going, either. I don't mean to cut throats (...yes I do!), but I have had many sellers contact me with a low ball price before bidding begins, because I present myself as a sure thing if I'm truely interested.

Anyway, the patient and careful will do well on Ebay.
 
ebay is the place.

I love buying gear and selling gear from over there.

Selling. Some buyers go crazy and buy the item for more than its worth or more than it cost new. I sold my c414 for more than I paid for it, and I've seen yamaha ns10s going for $400 even though they are about $300 new.

Buying.
You can get the deal of a lifetime on ebay. a 16 channel sound craft board for like $300, with 4 vu meters. etc

downs. Some flopsies win a bid and don't send money.
 
Yeah I saw something of yours yesterday. Was that the 414 or something else? I'm watching an NT2 right now.

Here's hoping! :cool:
 
psmith66 said:
I can't complain about e-bay.

Got a brand new shure sm57 for $130 CDN (they go at local shops here for almost $200 plus 15% tax).
Click to expand...
YIKES!!!!
Hate to burst your bubble, but typical Cdn retail price on an SM57 *IS* around $130. The 58 goes for $150....

You could have ordered the mic from Steve's (Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto) for about what you paid! And it would have been new with warranty!

Bruce
 
Yes but....

Bruce:

You have to consider:

- retail prices in Newfoundland are higher than Ontario (moreso for musical gear), plus we have to pay 15% HST vs 7% you pay

- if I buy from Ontario shops (which I've done many times), I still get charged 15% plus shipping - this would certainly inflate the $130 price (see below)

- I checked out Steve's and Long/Mcquade - the bottom-line price with shipping and tax was well above what I paid via ebay (see below)

- the $130 I paid included shipping (no taxes applied) - if purchased for list $130, I would have paid a total of $180 taking into account taxes and shipping

The mic was brand new, and the warranty wasn't worth $50 to me.

Believe or not, I was quoted over $200 here, before tax, for the SM57. And they will not negotiate (unless you were buying a Mex Strat for $500 plus 15% tax!!!).

Support the local economy? Gimme a break.
 
dang!!!

I just lost a 24 channel desk by $5.

This was the deal. A big old desk, with lotsa knobs. I was the high bidder with $360.

I checked at one minute left, and I was still the highbidder.
by the time the auction ended, Someone else had won the bid. The person must have bid like 30 seconds to the close.

But $360 for that board, and it came with a travel case. Golly.
 
You should have keyed in a proxy maximum bid (you'll never know, but the successful bidder may have keyed a maximum of $500 at that last minute).


Ain't hindsight great?!
 
OK, for argument's sake, and to illustrate some of the points we have been discussing, let us take a hypothetical bidding situation, shall we? Well maybe not so hypothetical. In any case, tell me what YOU come up with.

Imagine for a moment that you wanted to buy, say, a digital stand-alone workstation-- and suppose you had your heart set on, say, a Roland "VS" series.

So, the VS1680, which now a year out of date, with no extras, originally (1-2 years ago) went for $2000 or higher.

You with me so far?

Now, the VS1880 which is the current model in this line, having replaced the slightly older VS1680, goes for around $1800 new in the store.

The newer version has 24 bit AD converters, as opposed to the VS1680's 20 bit, although they both have internal 24 bit processing. There are probably other enhancements in the new model.

If you buy the new VS1880, there is no risk of losing your money. No risk of shipping damage. And, if you discover there is a problem with the item after a few weeks of usage, you can exercise the warantee.

But, at the same time, you wouldn't mind saving some money right now. You figure you can live with 20 bit AD for a while, until you get a converter.

You've been noticing that bidding on VS1680s usually starts around $450-750 and ends up at $1100-1300. Now, IMO, once an item like this goes over $950, it is heading towards the "overpriced area", but you may disagree (if so, explain). But, in any case, what is YOUR bidding strategy?

**Curious shoppers want to know**
 
the vs2480 is the new VS in stores.

I think its a matter of self control and luck. Some times of the year, you can only find one seller selling what you want. Another day, there may be 20 sellers.

The trick is to know how much you are willing to pay. If you see a vs that you want, bid on it. If you get outbid, let it rest. Just watch it till the very last second. People do that alot so as not to generate interest in what they are trying to buy.

So watch it until you have about 10 minutes to go, then bid.
set a maximum bid that you are willing to go for. You might get it lower than your maximum if no one bids, but set a maximum, so that no one can come in at the last minute and steal it.
 
Jerry, I'd have to agree with you re: the "hypothetical" bid. At that price, any discount wouldn't be worth the risk.

IMO it depends on what you want to buy. Yes, I bought a used guitar on ebay - but I didn't rest until it arrived and I had it checked out (30 minutes from the time I rec'd it, it was in the hands of the local tech). Fortunately, everything worked out ok. Not sure if I'd make a habit of buying guitars on ebay. But you also have to realize that some of us are not close to a market of, say, used strats. A good selection of used gear doesn't exist in this neck of the woods.

I would say that the biggest concern I would have is shipping (i.e. will it arrive in one piece). Based on the way ebay works re: feedback, I don't think rip-off sellers are a significant problem, especially if the buyer exercises some due diligence.

CyanJaguar, you're right about the strategy. It's basically as simple as that. Size up the item/seller, obtain additional info as necessary, decide what your maximum $ would be, and enter that maximum. Then simply let it ride. And don't think that you're going to get it for a song just because you're the highest bidder with 30 minutes left. American strats will sit there for 6 days plus at $200 - and then 15 sharks will come out of nowhere during the last 15 minutes and drive the price to $1,000 plus! And some poor guy thought he'd get it for $250! That said, there are deals to be had - if you're patient.
 
here.. have 2 more cents

this info comes from my wife.. so it's second hand and you should take the other info in this post as priority.. try to stick with the shop owners.. they are more willing to stand behind their product ..and if what you want is already taken.. look again later.. that same shop owner may put up the exact same piece of gear on sale.. you may even get a better bid next time around..

Cy
 
Ive bought my shure 555 and my green bullit for under 20.00 bucks each. some times the more obscure stuff goes to the end without any bids

oh by the way a fender tele for 170.00 not bad either:D
 
I agree with Jaguar. But I decide what my high bid is and leasurely start putting it in when there's 60 seconds left. That way, I only get beat if someone has put in a bigger proxy bid than me. It's worked numerous times.

Jag you must have really liked that 67 if you sold your AKG.

Zeke
 
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