MJ

In general I just don't see good deal on much of anything on Ebay anymore. I used to use it quite a bit 5 years ago or so. Now you find a price and have to read through the shipping and handling charges to see if its even worth it.

__________________

B15M

I think if you went into a store and they wouldn't sell to you, or a restaurant, and they wouldn't serve you, they would be in some trouble.

__________________
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndid=238487314

http://webpages.charter.net/joespitzer/

TrentAustin

Ebay is different in that you're not dealing with customers face to face. How am I to know it's an honest buyer or seller without adequate feedback or referrals.

I don't think you can compare this to a person-to-person direct transaction.

__________________
Trent Austin
http://www.trentaustin.com
http://www.onlinejazzimprovisation.com
Wedge SST mpcs
2008 Honda Fit Sport (vrooom)

Scooter01

I too thought some charges were excessive. But quite often they may be using a shipping service and have additional fees you may not see. I have used UPS stores when I travel to send samples back to my office. I can expect to pay almost double the actual shipping fee to pay for packaging and service fees. On one occasion the seller I purchased from on Ebay explained (and I Mapquested to check their story) that they had a 45 mile drive into town and had to pay for parking to ship the package. In Montana, this is possible. UPS will pick up your packages so you don't have to drive, but they still charge a premium that does not show on the shipping label. I do find switching services to be objectionable. They may be doing you a favor by not letting you bid on their items. Live and learn Grasshopper.

rowuk

I don't understand the problem.

A deal that is too good to be true is normally just that. People have figured out that ebay is not a cyber fleamarket. With all of the scams going on, ebay has trouble with credibility. They have no good way to protect seller and buyer alike and probably never will. If the buyer waits until he has cash in hand (the normal transaction), there is no reason to block buyers.

I don't even bother looking there anymore. I get great deals from my local dealers - why not support the local economy?

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

B15M

Ditto!

__________________
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndid=238487314

http://webpages.charter.net/joespitzer/

screamingmorris

In theory I agree with you.

But...

I live in the 16th largest city in the United States.

The music stores in this city carry Bach and Yamaha mouthpieces.
No other brands.

The music stores in this city carry Bach and Yamaha instruments.
No other brands.

On the rare occasion that I do see something in one of our local stores that I like (somebody traded something in when they bought a new Bach or Yamaha), the local stores typically charge 2x to 4x the price that I would normally see on eBay.
For example, our local store had a used Holton C603 cornet for $500.
On eBay a Holton C603 typically sells for about $200.
Our local store had a used Holton C103 cornet for $1,000 (I later discovered that our local store had actually obtained the C103 from eBay).
On eBay a Holton C103 typically sells for about $500.
On my very tight budget, my very tight income, I cannot afford to pay twice as much for something.

The difference between buying from a person on eBay versus from a local music store is similar to the difference between buying a used car from an individual versus from a dealership.
Because of the dealership mark-up you will pay twice as much for the used car.

- Morris

bigtiny

I HATE ebay! I can't believe the prices I see people paying for stuff there. It's ridiculous...
And all of this petty bickering that goes on. I'd rather just list on Craigslist and deal with people locally. That way, when somebody comes and tries a horn and buys it, they know what they're buying, I have my money, we've usually had a nice, human exchange, and that's it. ebay has never been anything but a pain in the ass for me....

bigtiny

iainmcl

That's great idea, but what if your local economy doesn't have the resources available that you want/need. Here in New Zealand, buying a brand new instrument means paying what amounts to a 100% mark-up on the item. I know this is pretty standard practice, but when you translate it back into US$ it still doesn't equate.
So, buyers like myself start looking online to places like ebay for a better deal. Shipping to NZ can be expensive, but not out of the question if it's comes to buying an instrument at a reduced cost.
The problem I hit is that a lot (if not, most) ebay sellers won't even consider selling outside the US, even if it's a secure Paypal transaction. I've had people ask me if I'm joking when I ask if they'll ship here. There's a whole world of buyers out there, y'know, and most of them are genuine and willing to foot the bill on shipping.

Now, I know that little rant was slightly off topic, so I'm gonna go ahead and say that (IMHO) all additional costs should be stated up front. If something ends up costing the seller less to post, then a small refund should go to the buyer to equate for the difference. I'd call that good business

I guess that's a little more than 2 cents worth.