Ebay---Ebay---Ebay---What's Your Opinion???

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

[Where do you rate Ebay and it's service?]

Where do you rate Ebay and it's service?

Love it and use it steady to buy and sell

26 (37.1%)

Just use it for pricing ideas and such

9 (12.9%)

Don't mind it use it now and then

23 (32.9%)

Have never used it because I'm nervous about it

3 (4.3%)

Plan to use in near future

3 (4.3%)

Will never use and dislike Ebay

2 (2.9%)

Used it in past and quit due to bad luck

4 (5.7%)

Total Members Voted: 3

EBAY        

What are everyone's thoughts and opinions about Ebay and it's services? Please vote on the poll and also please add some personal comments to tell everyone about your thoughts on the topic of Ebay in general. Some topics that often are touched upon are:

The security of Ebay:
The fees and charges to buy and sell:
The misleading descriptions of items up for sale:
The fees members are charging to ship items:
The types of payments that are accepted:

And please feel free to tell us any other concerns or problems you have had or any information that will help others to avoid problems that one may has had in the past!

Thanks to all that participate in this poll and please leave your comments about any above topics listed!!!       

        Jeff

i've bought a few items from ebay stores but i'm leary of the actual auctoin part probably because it moves compared to stores where i have time to really think about my purchase.

A little more than Pricing ideals and such but less than steady...don't tell PD this, he won't let me down on my regular shopping for clothing and accessories. Banknotes, I'll just leave it to him to find what I want there.

"I could get you that gothic black lacey petticoat to go with that kilt Fuzzy."

He he he. 

When I first started collecting seriously, I used eBay to get the more common notes in my collection. Now that I got them all, I find eBay useless.  Anything I am missing for my collection is way overpriced and/or not available in the condition I want.  Take the $10 BOC 1935 English.  There isn't a single one priced appropriately.

http://search.ebay.ca/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=1935+%2410+-scotia+-montreal+-royal+-commerce+-nationale+-dominion+-montral+-provincial+-barclays+-national+-train&sacat=3426%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D3&sadis=200&fpos=N9A+7C4&sabfmts=1&fobfmt=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=3%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

I refuse to pay a premium over catalog when buying a note on eBay!  Notes on eBay should be sold at a discount (or at least less than what I would pay a dealer,) because of the risks the buyer assumes when buying from eBay and the delay in taking possession of the note.

Brad

The security of Ebay:
The fees and charges to buy and sell:
The misleading descriptions of items up for sale:
The fees members are charging to ship items:
The types of payments that are accepted:

I could care to disagree. The whole point of eBay is for buyers to buy from a trusted source. It beats someone going to some random site and buying some things that are too good to be true.

Fees: I think it's totally worth it. eBay gets millions of visits a week and it'd be nice to have your sale items on it.

I'm on for fillers generally. Sell the odd thing.
As far as fees are on eBay, "What you pay is nowhere near what you get." As far as business goes outside eBay I've been pretty flexible with a small circle of collectors in payments in an ongoing basis. As payment I've accepted; ratty old notes (worth FV), pop cans, Postage stamps, Canadian Tire money, and even offered a Lacey Gothic Petticoat as collateral/payment. Look my Dark Lass, I'm not that flexible! 

If only Raven had been the Costume Mgr of the Fuzzynuts, 
Dei Gratia
PD

Notes on eBay should be sold at a discount (or at least less than what I would pay a dealer,) because of the risks the buyer assumes when buying from eBay and the delay in taking possession of the note.

I completely agree with you.  There should be a discount.  But how much?  For a well photographed item that is thoroughly described and maybe even third-party graded, and that is offered by a reputable seller, there shouldn't be too much discount.  Five percent?  And there should probably be a premium compared to a separate dealer website, because of the eBay and PayPal buyer protection, and the relatively objective feedback process. 

EBay is an auction site with prices determined by bidders.  Your "discount" is the difference between your maximum bid and the final price determined by what the runner-up bidder placed as his/her maximum bid.  Lots of items sell cheaper than a dealer's asking price, but that's not a general rule.  Certain items tend to get more competition in an auction setting.  Other kinds of specialty items don't have concrete catalogue values and there can be wildly different prices from one seller to another.  Finally, whether you're bidding on an auction site or buying from a dealer list, there's a lag time between sending payment and receiving the item(s).

I don't buy a lot of notes on eBay. But I do buy mint stamps. Not to collect, but to use for my snail mail. Can sometimes get them for way below face value. Just bought $90 FV of mint stamps (would have cost $100.80 after HST at the post office) for $67. Saves money, and people who get my Christmas cards always appreciate the vintage Christmas stamps I use.

The best indicator of value is a market, and ebay is the most comprehensive market for collectible paper money in the world.  People can argue all they want about the value of various notes, but what someone will sell for, and what someone will buy for, is what determines market value.  I also think it is helping get casual collectors, young people, and others into the hobby, which is healthy.

  I also think it is helping get casual collectors, young people, and others into the hobby, which is healthy.

I do agree that Ebay is a way for some people to get into the papermoney hobby, but that being said many of these new collectors have been burnt by overgraded bills, fake errors (ie bills cut from sheets), 1967 polar bear or gold leaf varieties, chemically altered notes, pressed notes, and on and on and on
Once they find out they usually tend to be more reserved in whether or not they continue with the hobby or go onto something else.  I know that people have to be careful and try to familiarize themselves before they get in to deep but the fact is many sellers try to take advantage of newbies and losing them before they even start is not a good thing.
Personally unless I have dealt with a seller a number of times where I begin to trust his honestly and grading ability I will stay away from most notes.  I have already bought a number of notes via the trading post and so far 100% satisfied.  This is likely where I will continue to deal and buy.  And unlike Ebay, most of the sellers on the trading post give a 100% return option which to me is worth alot in getting to know a member and his honesty and sincerity,