My main complaint is with PayPal. They stuck it to me 4 years ago. As far as I am concerned Ebay and PayPal are synonymous...and I will never use either again. I do click on the links in the "Ebay Humor" thread...but thats as far as it goes. Like others have said...if ya like Eckbay...good on ya...enjoy. YMMV.
I have only had a few problems with literally hundreds of eBay purchases. But I too have seen the evil people trying to do things as well. Fortunately, I can spot a scam a mile away. I have used it to get things that I missed, or to find things that my local shops did not or do not carry. Lately, I have found a lot of custom numbered locomotives that were needed to fill in the ATSF roster. That said, I do very little buying any more and only buy from very well known folks or shops.
Hey, this thing I started is percolating along well, no crazy invective or ranting. However I should have asked a two-part question: first, are "serious" buyers there, and second, if not, where is a good on-line sales site where a modeller who turns stock items into particular specific prototypes can sell stuff and not lose money? Custom-built steam locos when sold seem to pay for themselves, and everybody agrees that we'll never see (in N scale anyway) every kind of -- or even the major types of -- road-specific passenger equipment, so maybe a varnish of kitbashed/reworked cars can bring in a good price. But there are also lots of prototype freight cars (or paint schemes) we don't have. Ten-panel 40' gons, or 40'ACF-roof-panelled plug doors (not just ESM BAR-specific ones), various special-duty flat cars or boxcars -- look through any book on a certain railroad's rolling stock inventory and you'll see things that, while not common, certainly are numerous enough they wouldn't look out of place in a consist. But making these cars takes time effort and materials, so expecting to get only $5-10 for one makes it not worth it. Buying the stock car itself costs more than that. I'd think that an article on how to build the car would allow some people to make it, but wouldn't the option of buying one pre-made be appealing to more people?
Serious buyers are definately there (myself included). Simply search under the term "custom" in the N scale category and you'll see some amazing work. I do it regularly just to see others' work. It is kind of like the old Atlas SNFF. Super detailed diesels do well and, as you mentioned, custom steam. Having used ebay since its beginning, the custom stuff that seems to sell the best is those that have paint schemes that have not been done commercially and those prototype specific kit bashed models. Having said that, patience is also part of the game. I have listed items that did not sell one week and then went on to sell far above my expectations the next. The one thing that no one here has mentioned is all the contacts one makes via ebay. Invariably when I sell something, I get asked if I have more. Relationships get started and I now sell 10xs as much stuff outside of ebay which means no fees.
Yes, some people may have problems with PayPal. They may have problems with any business entity; they are all run by humans, after all. Some people realize this, work through the issue, and have no further difficulties. Others end the relationship there. "Man, that glass of milk was sour. I'm never having another glass of milk ever again!"
When it comes to taking (stealing) my $$$$$...its NOT sour milk... Let me put it another way... 'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me' !!
I admit to being somewhat impulsive. I'd been watching 3 kits for several days......I usually don't buy kits as my plate is full with building a RR but.......something to do come winter. These were logging specific and I felt the need for them to accurately model a logging RR. I plotted my strategy as 2 of the kits ended with in seconds of one another. Got a bit hung up with another bidder for one but nailed them both. I figured both to be worth about the same but got one for about 1/3rd the cost of the other. The priceyer (iz'at a wurd?) one was a decent buy.....the other ones were great....the seller didn't have the word "logging" listed in the auction and thus it didn't' show up in my logging search. I'd never seen these kits before......they were being sold from the UK and were NOS. I feel that without Ebay a guy would never see/be aware any of the above. With 50000 or so HO auctions on evilbay daily, proper searches are all important. I've had a few experiences with purchases on the bay that were less than stellar but 99% work out fine as frog hair. Selling is 100% positive.
If you're concerned about selling custom items on eBay and not getting what you think they're worth, just set the reserve appropriately high. There are probably buyers out there for such items (especially if they're well done), but it may take some time for them to find you. Sure, you do risk taking a loss on the listing fees if your items never sell, but so it goes. There are no guarantees when it comes to the business of selling model trains. -Mark
David- Speaking as one of those who had some troubles with PP, more than once... It is no fun at all. Especially when your family funds are all tangled up for weeks, while trying to get things squared away. That's far more personally damaging, without their caring or any apology, than a sour glass of milk. One can live without milk, but not the money to move our way through life or even buy milk! It is then not quite as simple as "working our way through" a situation, when unable to pay the household bills. The numbers of people who have endured such troubles is not at all small. But those who have never had the experience just do not know. One utterly miserable experience and I went forward. A second, I said good bye and have never looked back. But this is all straying from the original topic...
Not so much real modelers and impulse buyers as it is real modelers and 'investors' battling it out. I have seen n scale stuff sell one week and be relisted at a higher starting price by the guy who won it just the week before. I dont care if people are tired of hearing the 'economy thing' rehashed over and over. There are guys who are using EvilBay to try and keep their heads above water. Buy cheap...resell high. Its not a new trend...just a more prevelant one these days. Agree or disagree...Just my .02 worth.
I have had problems with PayPal as well, so I can understand... to a degree. One thing I have never done is tie up any significant sums in PayPal. It's a matter of prudence; I use it solely as a conduit to pass relatively small sums from one point to another. If you risk large sums on a service that has already created a problem for you, I can't say as I'd place all blame on PayPal for any grief that might subsequently ensue. Just saying.
Let me get this straight, PayPal "stole" your money? If that's so, the call the police. Exactly, and I have all kinds of things in my possession based on similar circumstances. eBay is not evil and calling it such is wrong and that's going to stop, now. eBay is a reputable business. PayPal is a reputable business, and yes, they are the same company. My experiences with eBay and PayPal have been more than 99% positive. eBay/PayPal now have very good tools in place to protect buyers and sellers. These businesses have, like many others, evolveed over the years from what they were to being what they are now. Certainly the potential for problems exists. Problems exist when you order from any Internet or brick and mortar retailer of any kind. The last three times that I have order frood from the drive-thru of a certain McSomething restautrant in Calais, Maine my order has been wrong. Does it make me mad? Yes, and as a result, I am not eating there right now. Will I ever eat there again? I'm sure that I will, eventually. Guys, if you don't like eBay, then don't go there. End of story. It leaves more pickings for the rest of us. Charlie
Charlie... When Paypal refunds someone my $$$ on a bogus claim...it amounts to stealing in my book...sorry. Paypal sides with the buyer not the seller. No police...its self preservation for me. Like I keep saying...if people want to use ebay and paypal...good on em. Was just relating my experience.
Well, you missed my point. It was not a large dollar amount issue as both were well under $50.00. Both times my account was encumbered during the process. That is the problem. All things working properly, such an action is grossly overblown. Likely closer to abusive, in fact. At this point we should probably take this off forum, if needing to continue. Allow the topic get back on center.
Re: PAYPAL PROBLEMS: Go check out www.squareup.com guys. You don't have to use Paypal to sell on Ebay! Square takes a smaller % and chargebacks are not easy for a buyer (they have to use their bank, garners a seller fewer fraudulent claims by far). You would be responsible for running credit card info, though, so consider it a greater responsibility as well. Be safe out there, sellers!
These Ebay threads get off topic pretty easily, but as to the original question, I would say both impulse buyers and hard core modelers are on there. As was mentioned earlier, there's no better place to get top dollar for your stuff, my opinion anyway. Regarding limiting your searches to price/mfg etc.. - I usually will do searches this way, but I have found that often times there are MTL cars listed under Atlas, and other things of that sort, so the safest way to make sure I don't miss any new listings, is to search by date, which, of course, means having to look through lots of items I have no interest in, hoping to catch any items that otherwise, might slip through the cracks. Just stating the obvious.
