is EBAY safe??

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gkowal

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hey guys i was thinking about getting few used things from ebay like... DELTA 1010 soundcard ,near-field monitors and a used keyboard (Novation Supernova 2 or ACCESS VIRUS KB) i was thinking that i could save lots of money on buying used equipment but then i am scared that I will get something broken or in a bad condition and I will not be able to return it... Guys did some of you order something threw ebay and what you thing I should do? thanks
 
All purchases less than $200 are automatically insured.

Check their feedback ratings. If someone doesn't have very much feedback, or they seem to have a few negative comments, I would look in to those and see if they were resolved.

Most of all, just email the seller and ask if he can provide you with a direct line so you can talk to him/her over the phone. If the seller hesitates in returning your emails or doesn't want to provide a phone number, then I would be suspicious. If they reply back quickly and give you a phone number, then chances are much better that they are legit.

Talk to them for a bit, and ask if it's in good condition, and get a verbal assurance from them that they'll make good on it if it isn't. If they already have a lot of good feedback, then chances are they will do what it takes to make sure they continue to get more good feedback, as a lot of these people actually sell used stuff on ebay for a living. So just make it clear to them that if it arrives in good condition, that you'll be happy to leave good feedback for them.

I would worry only about those that won't return your messages. Don't even bother with those people.
 
IMO, Ebay is safe.

In general, IMO, Ebay sellers' descriptions are basically accurate, and photos show a lot about the general condition of the gear.

I've bought a great many items off Ebay, and I think the sellers are basically sincere. I've gotten Ebay items, numerous times, and each time I have gotten basically what the seller said I'd get, in basically the condition the unit was described as being in.

The real issue may be with heavier items, and shipping. I've suffered a few incidents of damage during shipping, which depending on what the item is, may put both buyer and seller in a pretty tough spot. F/I, lots of older Tascam and Fostex reel-to-reel units cannot be fixed, if damage occurs to outer casings, panels & covers. Replacement parts just aren't there, when it comes to cosmetic outer panels of vintage gear, of the type I'm likely to bid on.

Damage like what I'm talking about, IMO, typically occurs during shipping, so therefore, I'll only bid on heavy items that I can pick up in person. BTW, I just picked up a nice, used Tascam 38 today, that I bought on Ebay for $299, and it works well & is in fine condition.

Re, the Delta 1010, it's not unusually large, so I wouldn't necessarily worry about shipping, in this case. With the monitors and keyboard, shipping may be an issue.
 
I've had great success getting stuff over ebay... everything from mixers to computer gear to hockey sticks and jerseys. I even bought a guitar once. Be sure to check user ratings and maybe even email previous customers. But don't count on user ratings alone... posting merchandise under someone else's name and ratings is a common scam. use a credit card with purchase protection, too. I"ve been using ebay for at least 3 years and have never been ripped off. I only know 1 person who has, and she recouped through her credit card company and even got a nice little kickback from ebay and paypal.
 
I have bought many different items on ebay from worlds of wonder lazer tag gear to my danny 56-u2. So far i have not had a problem. I usually evaluate how a persons page looks how they talk and present the item. If somthing feels wrong then i quite possibly is, i have heard some serious horror stories. The most important thing is to talk with the seller. And i suggest paypal, it is safer and easier than checks in the mail.
Good luck
-Angermeyer
 
I incidentally bought a Delta 1010 from Ebay. Got it for $425. Its used but in great condition. Ebay always worked for me. Seller rating is a big factor..Guys with lot of postive rating would hever want a negative rating from you so they try to please you. I bought a Event 20/20bas too from Ebay!!
 
Define safe

Is it as safe as buying something from Guitar Center? Probably not. It is possible to get screwed on EBAY(GC as well, but..), That said, I have never been ripped off on Ebay. I have bought and sold quite a bit there, and as long as your carefull, you'll do alright.
 
In My Opinion...It's Safe

But... Check feedback and watch out for these following things.....

-Sometimes you will see an object, say a keyboard up for auction, and the person just writes what it is but offers no more info other than "For details go to the roland site and search..." I have seen this many times, and it says to me, that this person doesn't know a thing about what he is selling, which then leads me to ...Why does he have it?, why is he selling it?, is it stolen? Does it even exist?

-Watch out for the Shades (sunglasses beside a users name), they say that the person is new, or has changed his identity in the past 30 days.... Which leads me to think?.. why would he change his identity?.. is he hiding some bad feedback in his past or what?..

-Ask lots of questions before bidding... When Im selling stuff, I hate when people don't ask questions, then they win the auction and complain because there is a little hairline scratch on the back of the thing... This happened to me once... Where I listed the item as "This item is used, and is sold in "As is" condition".. They don't ask me and specific questions about it's appearance and then they bitch when they get it that it doesn't look like it just came off the assmbly line.... I really hate buyers that do that..



Other than the above tips, it's pretty safe, and I have never been screwed.... other than minor little misunderstandings which were cleared up...

Good Luck!..

Joe
 
While I am of the general opinion that it is safe, bad things can and do happen. Remember that on ebay you are deling with people, and people can be dishonest. All of my dealings on ebay have been good except for one.

I bought a G4 computer from a person with a feedback rating of 238 (that's pretty good!!) and lost $1650, the computer was never delivered, and neither was the refund. I made the unfortunate mistake of paying with a money order, which you should NEVER do if you can avoid it. It turned out that this was a huge fraud case, the seller ended up posting a bunch of auctions she couldn't fulfill because her business was failing, and in the end, defrauded something like 130 people for almost $300,000. Luckily, since it was such a big case, her local DA, and subsequently the FBI, have taken the case on.

Though this is an isolated incident, and I have had almost 30 other transactions on ebay that were flawless, I would recommend that you take the person's feedback rating with a grain of salt. If you feel sketchy about a transaction, or if they won't let you pay with PayPal or a credit card, remember that the most you can get back from ebay is $175 if things go wrong.

For a long time, I was one of the people who said that ebay was totally safe. I still use it, and I have used it twice for purchases of over $200 since mmy big loss, but I would STRONGLY suggest that you pay with PayPal or a credit card only (these are the only ways you can get your money back... but remember to make your claim within 30 days).

I will never bid on another auction that requires payment in money order or cashier's check.
 
I have never had a bad experience on Ebay. Ever. I think it's safer than buying used gear from some shady music store.
 
I really haven't had a problem yet

Checking out the feedback is a must

email the person who you are buying from, if they don't respond I wouldn't do business with them

If it's an item that could be easily damaged through the mail, ask how much to add for insurance (very important)

check out http://www.prepal.com to see if you are actually bidding a reasonable amount on the item you are buying.
 
More advice

Yeah, sometimes the person can have a good seller rating, yet they are still defrauding people. I think this is very rare of course, I've bought tons of music equipment online with no problems.

Evaluating a buyer is a mix between Ebay ratings and how they answer your questions.

One thing to be careful of is people who do not accept Escrow, especially when you are going to pay all the Escrow fees.

I recently had someone who I was suspicious of even though he had a good rating, so I decided to go Escrow and pay all the fees myself, but he 'didn't feel comfortable' with that.

There's NO good reason for this attitude. If a person is willing to go to the trouble of signing up with Ebay and PayPal but feels uncomfortable signing up with Escrow when the buyer pays all the fees, there MAY be something fishy going on.

I just do not understand this unwarranted skepticism.

Perhaps try suggesting Escrow for big purchases to test the person out?

Hope this helps.
Beyond Music
 
I sell a lot of stuff on ebay, and I have never ripped anyone off, but absolutely will not except escrow, and many many reputible sellers wont either. Its one more delay in getting paid, one more place the buyer can jack with you, and one more headache I dont need. There are plenty of buyers who will buy without it. I do except paypal, and ebays service, but no escrow. One of the reasons I use paypal is because I can go to the ATM and draw out the money before I ever ship the item. That way I know I am not getting burned.
 
I've bought hundreds of things and sold dozens on eBay and have never had a negative feedback exchange.

I also never purchase from anyone with less than 10 positive feedbacks.;)

Ebay is like any other purchase you can make. Let the buyer beware, check for references and always insure shipping when the item is worth more than $50.

Carl
 
Escrow

I see your point bdgr about Escrow, that makes some sense to me why people wouldn't accept that form of payment. I guess the real question is, what is the most fair and reasonable process for BOTH buyer and seller for expensive sales. If the buyer jus wants easy quick money, though, Pay Pal is certainly the way to go.
 
Re: Escrow

BeyondMusic said:
I see your point bdgr about Escrow, that makes some sense to me why people wouldn't accept that form of payment. I guess the real question is, what is the most fair and reasonable process for BOTH buyer and seller for expensive sales. If the buyer jus wants easy quick money, though, Pay Pal is certainly the way to go.
Click to expand...

Well, if you as a buyer want to be safe, just use a credit card through paypal. You can always charge back on your card if you get screwed(though it will piss paypal the hell off, screw em).

The most expnesive thing I ever sold on ebay was a 1950's military ambulance. The buyer picked it up in person, of course, so it wasnt that big of a deal. I sold a synth once for a couple of grand(not ebay), but the trusting soul just fed-exed me the cashiers check. Credit cards have a built in protection. I dont buy anything with cash that I might possibly want to return. One time I bought a bunch of cables from GC and they didnt wanna take them back because they were on clearance. I just told the manager if he didnt take em back, I'd do a charge back and get my money back from the card company. He gave me a refund.
 
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