Buying from Websites vs. Buying from eBay

[PokéMart]

When you go to purchase something on the internet (Pokemon Cards as an example), what do you consider whe deciding where to buy from?

Do you prefer eBay? Would you rather stay away from it? Do you avoid off ebay sites? Do you just buy stuff on the gym? And why? Do you feel more or less secure on eBay?

I often prefer buying off eBay because I think the prices are sometimes better.

I'm just curious how people feel about this.

 

[Spotter]

I prefer buying on eBay as its model almost perfectly implements a free market system. Auction or buy from eBay stores, the buyer is free to determine if a price is reasonable or not and act accordingly. In addition, the feedback system allows honest sellers and buyers to rise to the top, while alerting the community to any cheats. Finally, the company eBay itself adds a layer of buyer protection that isn't necessarily offered by Joe's-Fly-By-Night-Cards-'n-Games.com. I will buy from well-established online stores that I know others have had positive experiences with (shameless plug for collectandsave.com - no affiliation, just a satisfied customer), but by and large, I prefer the eBay route.

S.

 

[ryanvergel]

Price and reliability. If I go to eBay the seller must have a rating of at least 98%.

Off eBay... the prices for singles aren't usually that good.

 

[bullados]

Depends on where I can get stuff cheaper. For me, there are a couple places online where I can get my fix very cheaply, though others might not like what's there...

 

[Chromecatz]

i prefer websites to ebay. Usually better prices for singles and overall makes me feel safer about buying lol

 

[Flaming_Spinach]

I like ebay as well, although I haven't even logged in there for 2 months.

 

[Stripes]

I don't go with anyone on ebay unless its 99.8%+ which isn't at all hard to find

I go with an unrelated store to ebay if I can find decent prices on a group of cards I want. Otherwise for hard to get singles I go with ebay.

 

[homeofmew]

I like Ebay because then you have the feedback and paypal and such.

 

[rhodesia123]

ebay is the best. ya'll realize that if for some reason you dont receive the item you ordered and you paid by paypal, you can just file for a refund and you get your money back? You shouldnt be afraid of ebay.

 

[Arcanine 274]

Ebay is only better IMO because they're cheaper. They're not more reliable, and it's harder to find groups of 20 cards or so for your deck, unless you find a store that has everything humanly possible.

Stores are nice, but they're just overpriced sometimes.

 

[Prime]

Well, I buy on eBay a lot (a little too much XP). And here is the logic I use.

• How much is the card going to cost?
• How many of the item does the person have? (closer to a playset, the better -- I usually will buy 3 or 4 of a card)
• How much is the shipping?
• How much is the combined shipping? (if there is no combined shipping, I don't even mess with it)
• Does the person have anything else I want (this is when I might buy a single of a card they might also have -- this doesn't happen if the shipping for each extra card is too high)

I like to buy on eBay because you can get low prices sometimes, and you don't run into the whole dispute over how much the card is really worth. Sometimes, you can find a person on the Pokegym that just has to get rid of their cards and are willing to sale them below what they are worth, and that is when I will buy something on the Pokegym. Also, usually, the shipping isn't as bad on the Pokegym as on eBay ($3 for one card!?).

I prefer eBay though. Even if I don't find a good deal 9/10 of the days, when I find a good deal on the 10th day, it's all worth it.

 

[Dom]

A lot of the gear I'm into is prohibited on eBay so I have to find specialist retailers.

For most other stuff, eBay.

 

[Pkmnrulz240]

Also, usually, the shipping isn't as bad on the Pokegym as on eBay ($3 for one card!?).

Yeah, but ebay isn't as bad as some of the various online stores. 1 card, $6.95 shipping. :|

And generally, ebay will be the cheaper route for just about everything compared to online stores. Although most people will hit up ebay when looking for rarer items, so a lot of times, you can find interesting things that people have missed in the online stores.

 

[PokemansForGeeks]

As long as you get the traffic necessary to run a business, a website is the way to go. I started up a business last summer selling cards and believe me, I got tons of traffic and sales. The only reason I stopped was because it took SO much time to manage and I could never get enough product to meet the demands.

 

[PokéMart]

Shipping is expensive now. The cost of shipping a single card in a bubble mailer tripled with the postal increase.

 

[The King Of Magikarps]

Buying from ebay is buying from a website!

 

[Marble]

Shipping is expensive now. The cost of shipping a single card in a bubble mailer tripled with the postal increase.

That's the main reason I don't buy from most eBay sellers. They will offer a fair price for cards/items and a ridiculous price for shipping!!

"Sure, I'll take that promo for $1. Save on shipping if I buy more cards from him/her. I'll take these other cards too. Shipping is $10 for 5 cards. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

That's often the conversation I have with myself, and I haven't bought much on eBay as a result. I've even emailed sellers stating that I would buy multiple products if they lowered their shipping rate for me. Some never responded, some were polite and said no, and I even had a few call me "stupid" and other names I won't say because they stated, and this is verbatim, "it's how I make my money."

So they sucker you in with a regular cost, or a "good deal" then charge you out the butt for shipping. The stamp on the bubble mailer says 75 cents. I'll even be generous and say it was $1 for the tiny bubble mailer. Round that up to $2. Not $5.

/soapbox

 

[ShawofMordor]

That's the main reason I don't buy from most eBay sellers. They will offer a fair price for cards/items and a ridiculous price for shipping!!

"Sure, I'll take that promo for $1. Save on shipping if I buy more cards from him/her. I'll take these other cards too. Shipping is $10 for 5 cards. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

That's often the conversation I have with myself, and I haven't bought much on eBay as a result. I've even emailed sellers stating that I would buy multiple products if they lowered their shipping rate for me. Some never responded, some were polite and said no, and I even had a few call me "stupid" and other names I won't say because they stated, and this is verbatim, "it's how I make my money."

So they sucker you in with a regular cost, or a "good deal" then charge you out the butt for shipping. The stamp on the bubble mailer says 75 cents. I'll even be generous and say it was $1 for the tiny bubble mailer. Round that up to $2. Not $5.

/soapbox

I "overcharge" for shipping. I ask $3 per card, and $1 for each card after. I usually don't stick to that if they buy a lot, my cap is like $5 no matter how many you buy, because if you're buying that many from me I don't mind.

Anyway, the reason the shipping fee is high is this:

eBay and paypal take a lot from me, in addition to shipping costs. I charge $3, it costs me about $1. Does that mean I pocket an extra $2? No! I usually lose around 20% of the card's sale price after eBay/paypal fees, the $2 helps defray the cost. It is clearly posted in my auctions what the shipping will be, so when buying you can add my card cost and shipping, and compare it to other seller's card cost and shipping. If mine is cheaper, then let's do it. If not, all my BINs let you make best offers, so if you think $21 + $3 shipping is too much, offer me $19 + $3 shipping. Maybe I'll take it, maybe I won't. Simple as that.

 

[Marble]

I "overcharge" for shipping. I ask $3 per card, and $1 for each card after. I usually don't stick to that if they buy a lot, my cap is like $5 no matter how many you buy, because if you're buying that many from me I don't mind.

Anyway, the reason the shipping fee is high is this:

eBay and paypal take a lot from me, in addition to shipping costs. I charge $3, it costs me about $1. Does that mean I pocket an extra $2? No! I usually lose around 20% of the card's sale price after eBay/paypal fees, the $2 helps defray the cost. It is clearly posted in my auctions what the shipping will be, so when buying you can add my card cost and shipping, and compare it to other seller's card cost and shipping. If mine is cheaper, then let's do it. If not, all my BINs let you make best offers, so if you think $21 + $3 shipping is too much, offer me $19 + $3 shipping. Maybe I'll take it, maybe I won't. Simple as that.

And I wouldn't call that unreasonable. Being unreasonable would be assuming that you, the seller, incur no further costs other than the bubble-mailer and the stamp. What I'm referring to are the individuals that will not back down on their shipping, which is usually way overpriced anyway. These individuals don't usually have OBOs on their BINs, and also do not often have "satisfaction guarantee" promises either.

 

[pikachual]

I agree with you Shaw on the $3 shipping. After my cost of envelope, toploader, stamp, paypal fees, and ebay fees, the cost is $3. I sold some lucario sleeves and charged $4 shipping which I lost money on. That sale's postage alone was $3.75, but that is my fault for not checking first. For the small seller the cost of selling a card is high compared to a big seller which can buy supplies in bulk and goes to the post office fairly frequently. For anyone buying on ebay, they have to consider the overall cost of the item not just the sale price. If its unreasonable to you then dont bid. Thats my 2 cents.