Ebay veterans : Suggestions?

[Tac]

Ive been looking to buy a used ipad and the only place to find one it seems, is ebay.

I see a few for 150 bucks or (old gens) .. which reek of scam to me... but then again, ebay is ebay.

what tips can you give a total ebay noob on how to check a seller's credentials?

I click on the seller info and see the review ratings (which can be self-inflated I think) but no place to see how many transactions a seller has had.

[Meatwad]

to the right of the sellers id, there is a number. thats the number of positives the seller had

[68ZooM]

just check his feedback and seller ratings, never be afraid to ask questions, Ive bought everything from Lincoln MiG welders, plasma units, spoolguns to a Mastercraft tournament wakeboard boat, thats a story in its self    rule 1 if you feel uncomfortable then dont do it, just ask questions

heres the post to the boat i got for 7,200  http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,274451.0.html

[minke]

Not only look at negative feedback, but check for negative comments inside the positive. DSR's always worth checking also.

Personally, I always read the listing carefully looking for a clear, honest description. I will walk away from any listing that -

Has a stock photo instead of actual item.
Poor spelling and punctuation (if you cant be bothered using proper english, you probably haven't looked after what you are selling)
short listing ie 3 lines or less (implies lazyness)
any listing with "no refunds" in it, since you can get a refund if NAD or SNAD
anything else that feels wrong and be prepared to walk away.

Thats how I buy on ebay, had no problems as yet.

 

[Tac]

some look ok in that sense. Its just the price that gets me off.

Ipad  16g non-wifi sells new for almost 500 bucks yet they selling it for 100 or so... eh?

maybe im just new to ebay

[alskahawk]

 Check Feedback. 98-99% isn't too bad. 100% better.
Be careful with low number feedback sellers.
 Read the add carefully particularly the fine print. As is, doesn't necessarly mean bad. But it does mean you buy it, you keep it.
 Sad to say, but dealers are safer than individuals.
If the price is too low, double check it. May not be a deal.

[saggs]

If it sounds to good to be true, it likely is.  Even sellers with great feedback can be scammers.

For example:

I bought a new GPS unit on ebay.  Price was about 30% under retail, seller had good feedback though so I went for it.  Got the unit and it was genuine and good.  Weird thing was that it came from Tiger Direct with a invoice for full retail price.

About a month later I get a call from Tiger Direct accusing me of using a stolen credit card.  Turns out this guy was listing items for great prices on ebay, then when somebody bought one, he would buy it with a stolen credit card form Tiger or Newegg and drop ship it to you.  People get what they wanted, and so leave positive feedback, only to find out months later how the guy was offering such good prices.  This guy got reported and shut down by ebay, problem is he can just come back under a different ID.

Sellers can get ripped off to.

My sister once tried to sell a laptop on ebay.  Soon she got an e-mail from a buyer in Nigeria offering her 3x her asking price.  She said OK, I'll ship it when I see the money.  Then she get's an e-mail from "Paypal" saying that she had received payment, but that Paypal couldn't release it to her account till the item was shipped and received.  I explained to her that Paypal does not work that way... ever.  

Turns out it was a phony Paypal e-mail, directing you to a phony Paypal site.  She logged into the real Paypal to find no payment at all.  She reported buyer to ebay and they where shut down.  I only hope they didn't scam to many people out of their laptops and stuff.

Moral = Be very careful when using ebay, I'd bet 95% of ebayers are honest, but there are always the few out to scam you.

[cattb]

Don't buy something when offered after the auction. A person may try to sell something and scam you after the auction.
Watch shipping cost very close.

[Fulmar]

How about I send you a piece of paper?  It's a lot cheaper than the iPad and both of them don't support flash.

[curry1]

How about I send you a piece of paper?  It's a lot cheaper than the iPad and both of them don't support flash.

so true

[Tac]

im thinking more for college. Id rather have a tablet type computer to jot notes and be able to record audio of the class and take pics of the blackboard than to write down stuff... and in 2 years class worth time.. IF i can get the ipad from ebay for 150'ish.. its a nice saving money wise from buying school supplies.

I hate apple stuff and find their OS to be sickening to use.. for fun stuff ill stick to my PC. for college stuff the ipad so far cant be beat in portability and features.

... and it can also serve as a mobile remote control system+extramemory+live viewfinder view + pic preview for my nikon d300


what do you think of this seller?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-iPad-Wi-Fi-16GB-/250686419489?pt=US_Tablets

What bothers me is I cant see how many items he has auctioned in the past.. only the number of reviews he gets. I pick this one because he does have a lot more items in auction and it does seem like a person thats just selling stuff he doesnt use around the home anymore (unlike sellers with just 1 item for sale at a ridiculous low price and 400 reviews at 100% rating).

[68ZooM]

im thinking more for college. Id rather have a tablet type computer to jot notes and be able to record audio of the class and take pics of the blackboard than to write down stuff... and in 2 years class worth time.. IF i can get the ipad from ebay for 150'ish.. its a nice saving money wise from buying school supplies.

I hate apple stuff and find their OS to be sickening to use.. for fun stuff ill stick to my PC. for college stuff the ipad so far cant be beat in portability and features.

... and it can also serve as a mobile remote control system+extramemory+live viewfinder view + pic preview for my nikon d300


what do you think of this seller?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-iPad-Wi-Fi-16GB-/250686419489?pt=US_Tablets

What bothers me is I cant see how many items he has auctioned in the past.. only the number of reviews he gets. I pick this one because he does have a lot more items in auction and it does seem like a person thats just selling stuff he doesnt use around the home anymore (unlike sellers with just 1 item for sale at a ridiculous low price and 400 reviews at 100% rating).

Click the number 182 next to his star, it will bring up all his sales, he looks like a good seller to me, he takes paypal (which is good for refunds or disputes)  plus he has the ebay buyer protection, i would buy from him after reading his feedback all good except one guy, but the seller fully refunded his money

[AAJagerX]

Be very careful when buying tech. items.  I rebuilt a motorcycle with parts I found on ebay...  No issues at all.  I then bought a helmet intercom system from a seller that had good ratings...  Total junk. 

[sluggish]

1.  A laptop would be a better, more economical solution for school.  Despite what the Apple worshippers tell you, a iPad is no replacement for a computer.

2.  That iPad may be going for $100 but that's not what the auction will end at.  Most bidding comes in the last few seconds.

[Tac]

I already own a laptop and its too heavy/bulky to carry around college (when compared to the thin, light ipad) and I only need it as an electronic notebook/audio&video recorder. Pretty much an Ipod will do (and i own one too!) but I need a bigger screen for class

I'm aware the auctions will end up for more.. im a patient person.


So far im shocked to see people buying used I-pads from e-bay at almost $100 OVER the price of a brand new ipad (same type..16gb wifi version). Just plain weird.