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Originally Posted by mneumann02
I have been an avid Amazon Prime user, especially these last 5 months with trying to limit my going to stores. I have never used eBay and wondered what peoples' opinions were of Amazon Prime vs. eBay- such things as bargains, confidence in the product, ease of use, hidden charges such as shipping, etc.
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Amazon vs. eBay is a little like comparing a grocery store to a department store or baseball to football: they are both useful, but they are very different.
I use Amazon Prime a LOT, often $1,000 a month. I use eBay less, but I buy things on eBay that Amazon doesn’t have. For example, I buy used books on Amazon, but also on eBay. But I also buy used musical instruments on eBay, often great values, but never on Amazon, though I have bought some new ones there. Antiques, I’d buy only from eBay. I collect fine art, mostly over a century old, and I’ve made some wonderful purchases there for much less money than I’d pay in a gallery. (But eBay also sells garbage Chinese painted copies of great art at very low prices. Horrifying. Don’t buy it! You also have to watch out for shady sellers who make untrue claims—this gets better all the time).
I find that eBay has all sorts of unusual things Amazon probably doesn’t carry. But I check both. I often use Buy It Now on eBay, but I’ve also used auctions a lot. I’m selling things by auction right now. (I have over 1,200 positive reviews and no negative reviews.) There are tricks to buying by auction. They are the same as buying at a live auction, for the most part. For example, don’t bid unless you know what something is worth, and know how much you are willing to spend. It is completely unfair to try to return something you bought at auction because you decide you don’t like it. If you don’t like it, resell it! Some people get caught up in the excitement and bid early and want to always have the top bid. I love it when people do that when I’m selling something! I love it when they have to have it at any cost. But as for me, I try to register my first and only bid seven seconds before the end of the auction, and I bid the maximum I’m willing to pay. Then it’s too late for counter-bids.
I know people up who use eBay on a cell phone, but I strongly urge people to use an iPad or computer. You see larger photos of products there and can see all of the information instead of just part of it.
Buyer beware! It’s possible to go onto Amazon, find some book or item you know about, and buy it with your mind half asleep. (I’m sure you know people whose sharp thinking never kicks into gear, who go through lives without ever really thinking.) EBay requires sharp wits. It’s for smart people who are careful and canny and read the fine print and can search photos carefully for flaws. Then they get bargains. You have to remember to see how many reviews a seller or buyer has, and what percentage are positive. You have to check the condition report. You have to check the shipping costs. I have been burned a couple times on eBay, sometimes for several hundred dollars. I’ve also returned some things successfully when they weren’t as advertised. (Never because I decided I didn’t like them. I despise people who do that.) I find that eBay is always trying to making changes that protect buyers. It can make it hard for sellers. I try to be scrupulously honest when I sell things. A lot of sellers do. Also, a lot of eBay sellers are very friendly and will answer your questions.
I have a friend who buys old marbles, some of them quite rare and expensive. She shops only on eBay. There are antique stores that sell them, but those stores are all over the world, and it isn’t easy to get there or know who has something special. On eBay, she can look at 10,000 old marbles.
I find that eBay is GREAT for collectors, but collectors who know what they are doing do better. Amazon is useless for collectors. EBay is also good for collections of things. For example, one eBay seller who lives in The Villages is selling twelve novels by one author because he has read them. On Amazon, you would have to buy each book separately and pay shipping on each one.
I have a friend who lives in The Hamptons and spends weekends going to yard sales and buying designer clothes used at very low prices. Then she resells them on eBay with ads explaining what she has. She makes about $2,000 to $3,000 profit per month! I figure I’m lucky to break even selling things I don’t need.
In short, I’d say, if you aren’t looking for used or collectible things, and you are just looking to buy everyday products cheaply, stay on Amazon. If you are alert and careful and willing to see the eBay search as a lot of the fun, and you buy mostly used things or collectibles, give eBay a try.