Being Careful on eBay

[castaway]

I have had some really good experiences on ebay... my last transaction was my worst, but it all worked out.

I purchased a sweet old fiberglass rod...light line (4wt, which for an old glass rod is just sweeet and pretty hard to find)... and soft as a willow...

It took almost 3 weeks to arive... I told the seller that it had not arrived, and he refunded my money... well the next day, I got the notification that it was waiting for me at the post office. When I got there, the plastic shipping tube was destryed! and about 8 inches of the rod was sticking out... I thought for sure it was broken... well, the rod turned out to be better than I could have asked for! Perfect!

The biggest advise for ebay is know what your buying... make sure its a good deal, dont fall in love with an item, set your limit price and stick to it.... dont get into a biddign war with someone who has more money than sense... I have seen items on "buy it now" that are more expensive than the flyshops. I only use ebay for items I can not get anyplace else... like older rods.

The old fenwick "world class" fly reels are a good example.... I picked one up for 125 bucks... I see them going on ebay now for like 400! INSANE!

Also the old fenwick light line fiberglass rods prices are going through the roof!

Dont get into a * war...

Also, I think flyfishing gear is cheaper during summer... During winter, a lot of guys get cabin fever, dream of water to be fished and buy equipment.... buy during spring and summer. Just before christmas can also be good... guys are not buying flyfishing gear, they are buying purses and toys...

[fly addict]

Another bit of advice is always look at a sellers feedback. If they have 100% postive feedback as a seller you can figure the sale will go alright and the item listed as true. Watch out for scams they are out there on ebay. Only pay with Paypal and get item insured for shipping.

Mark

[John Harper]

Last time I tried Ebay, my credit card number got jacked.

Not for me, thanks.

John

[buggravy]

So with a little elbow grease and some GoofOff, the tube came fairly clean. Next, some Maguires scratch remover rubbed in circles and the tube looks great - all but the dents - which only give the tube it's awesome seasoned look. Then a coat of wax. Nice. The tube cap was missing the protective neoprene insert, so I made another one out of some neoprene that I have just for this reason, glued it in with that Gorilla Snot stuff that dries hard as a rock, and then greased the threads with vaseline.

Really? Dude, you're holdin' on too tight.

[John Harper]

I did use PayPal, not sure what happened.

Luckily, I checked my balance about a day after it was stolen, they charged $1 to Itunes (to see if my card worked), then jammed through some electronic stuff. I called immediately and got all charges reversed and card cancelled.

John

[rayfound]

Speaking of putting your bid in at end of the auction:

http://www.gixen.com

You're welcome.

[castaway]

I hate sniper programs... They get me everytime.

I sit there and watch it count down with me as the high bidder... than after it ends (last second snipe) I get beat out.

I wonder what happens when its sniper vs. sniper

[rayfound]

sniper vs. sniper

The higher final bid is what wins. End of story.

Why is it unfair? You enter the Max you are willing to pay, and if you get it, you get it. But it stops Joe Seller from having one of his buddies nudge you up one bid at a time and push everything up and feel you out. F-That... that is unfair.

Sniping is the ONLY way I will buy on ebay, besides BIN.

[tomsakai]

This past week there was another SPL 080 up for grabs on eBay. I dropped in my highest bid the last day and luckily for me it panned out.

Mike how do any of us have a chance to buy a 0 Wt? You're cornering the market!!

[castaway]

Never said I think its unfair... I just hate it.

I had a Hardy perfect for 250 bucks... Got sniped out from under me.. it was so cheap cuz it was listed all wrong.

[midger]

I use eBay a lot--over 2000 sales and at least 200 purchases. I've had very few issues, as I mainly deal with fly fishing things, and for the most part, I've found buyers and sellers of flyfishing items a fairly honorable bunch.

Areas you really need to use caution in is when buying from those who inherited or who obviously know nothing about what they are selling. These folks often overstate the condition of the rod, reel, etc. The reliable sellers have high postive feedbacks and most offer a money back guarantee or a 3-7 day inspection period if you are talking their higher priced items.

You also really need to know what you are buying. If you aren't sure of the value of that Granger or Fenwick rod, use caution and make sure you don't overbid. That's easy to do if you haven't done your research. I keep books on antique rods and their values, Reels and their values, and I used to use Marriotts catalogs as a general price guide until they stopped publishing them--I still use the old ones for general informational purposes when I want to see what an item originally retailed for, as many sellers vastly over inflate what the item originally sold for. This is especially true with rods and reels.

I also try to buy new or as new unless it is an absolute steal, which is rare these days on ebay as there are so many folks now using it. Unlike its early days in the mid 90s when there were lots of real bargains, now you can often get more for an item as a seller on eBay than you can selling it through a bulletin board ad.

As for credit card theft, I don't know how that could happen using PayPal. Nobody but PayPal has your credit card info and now that they're owned by eBay, they are a very secure method of transferring funds. Again, I've used them for $1000s of dollars in transactions and never had a problem. You do need to be aware of phishing scams though that purport to be from PayPal or eBay. Some of these folks are very good at mirroring the request you might expect to get from eBay or PayPal. If they don't address you by name, don't answer the query. Rather, send their request to the eBay spoof link and have eBay validate the request. Nine times out of ten you'll find it's bogus, just like the widow who had 10 million in Nigeria, but they need you to help them get it out of the country.

There are good deals. I just picked up a pair of blued, red agate strippers for $4.25. I've also purchased a lot of reels at prices that are below what I can get the same items for wholesale. Just use common sense in your pursuit of your holy grail items.

[fly addict]

sniper vs. sniper

The higher final bid is what wins. End of story.

Why is it unfair? You enter the Max you are willing to pay, and if you get it, you get it. But it stops Joe Seller from having one of his buddies nudge you up one bid at a time and push everything up and feel you out. F-That... that is unfair.

Sniping is the ONLY way I will buy on ebay, besides BIN.

Dittos! There is no reason to let anybody know you are interested in an item. And it keeps you from getting caught in the bidding fever and paying too much. Bid with common sense and not emotion and you will get something at the maximum price or less, that you have already decided upon before hand!

Mark

[rkfiske]

Another word of caution, be careful about eBay addiction! Know the signs.

Phase one: bidding on a restored 1945 Willys Jeep

Yes, my dad got into a bid war for a fully restored Willys! Wish he would have won, I would kill to drive around in that thing with a GI helmet on!

[fly_baby]

I've been using eBay for years and I've noticed there aren't as many good deals as there used to be. It seems like it's mostly dealers selling stuff at regular retail prices. The good Dr. got a great deal on a rod a few weeks ago so there are deals, they're just a lot harder to find. I snipe too - why let people know what you're willing to pay ahead of time. I've seen people go crazy on an item and end up paying more than the item is worth.

Just my two cents...

[fflutterffly]

One other thing: You must be like Dr. and others on this line; understand the products you are bidding on. Ask seller questions that might be missed by a tyro. I could never find the deals mike finds only because he has a deep understanding and knowledge of the equipment he loves. I'm lucky if I can buy the right kind of Kleenex.

Fly_Baby Avitar looks like a fly doing aerobics! Love it!