General > General Technical Chat
Why can't I find anything interesting on eBay anymore?
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jpanhalt:

--- Quote from: DiTBho on July 25, 2023, 09:13:34 am ---So it's too expensive and too risky, especially for random sellers.
Understood, with a great nostalgia for the good old days from 2000 to 2010.

--- End quote ---

I share that feeling.  But today, eBay and Amazon are mostly just two, competing online retail sites.  The only difference I have seen is the presence of a few, relatively small, used-item sellers on eBay.  Roberts Camera Indianapolis, Indiana, USA is one example.  Used cameras in general are often individual sellers.  There are still plenty of used clothing sellers on eBay, if you are interested.

I recall reading several years ago that eBay decided to be a competitor of Amazon for its long-term business.  Google finds plenty of comparisons of the two.  Here is just the first one that appeared in my search: https://www.repricerexpress.com/ebay-vs-amazon/
artag:
Although I mourn the loss of interesting secondhand items on ebay (I do still find a few, but not as easily as in the past) I also use it for new items. I generally find :

Amazon has less choice, higher prices. Amazon's Prime service only helps with speed - the delivery savings don't exist as Prime items cost more. And many Prime items don't actually deliver in a day any more, and using it further restricts the choice.

I have mostly found that Amazon supports customers with a better returns policy but not sure about non-amazon sellers.

Conversely ebay has far better choice but barely supports either buyers or sellers at all. I expect to be scammed with fake parts more on ebay but I'm not completely sure I'm safe on amazon.

I don't think either competes well with the other except in regards to being alternate ways to buy. Amazon is like buying from a retailer. Ebay is like buying from a street vendor. I can't see either taking much of the other's business, but as a customer I lose from ebay's change.

tggzzz:

--- Quote from: JPortici on July 25, 2023, 04:52:03 am ---It doesn't make sense for small/random sellers anymore, the amount of crap to get done, and the little money you get makes it not worthy. Last item i sold i had to give access to my bank account, and they kept about 40%, then i closed the account.

--- End quote ---

Every two weeks I get a "list items over the weekend and it is 80% off variable selling fees" offer.

Guess when I do/don't list items.


--- Quote ---The moment you do overseas they extort you even more money.

--- End quote ---

I sell using the GSP. I don't know what the buyer pays for that, and don't need to care.
I don't have to worry about customs declaration forms nor the quality of delivery agents in the destination country.
I just ship to a UK warehouse, and from there on it is fleabay's responsibility.
DiTBho:

--- Quote from: artag on July 25, 2023, 10:21:32 am ---I'm not completely sure I'm safe on amazon.

--- End quote ---

Bought qty=32 SDRAM special sticks (128Mbyte, only 1 rank), declared "new" on Amazon from an affiliated shop. I received used parts and not 100% in working order. No problem. Sent back. Money back in 4 days.

on eBay ... I bought a very rare steel headset for my bike
Paid 120 euros as declared
- English thread
- brand new, without defects

Received
- Italian thread
- second hand, with several scratches and bents

I could have somehow fixed the scratches and bents with hammer, file, sandpaper and grinder, but the Italian thread is mechanically not compatible with the English thread and if you try to force it you ruin the thread of both the fork and the headset, so I opened a claim "not as described" and I wasted three weeks of my life to have money back.

Considering this, now for the parts of my bike I only consider the possibility of personally viewing the objects listed on eBay, payment in cash.
Buriedcode:

--- Quote from: DiTBho on July 25, 2023, 09:05:24 am ---
--- Quote from: Buriedcode on July 25, 2023, 03:13:49 am ---I'm sure you realise that what you seem to consider insteresting is also old, and possibly rare, so the number of listings/available items to buy will only ever decrease.

You can't expect there to be a constant steady supply of very specific vintage hardware - even if there were a few sellers their stock will run out or they will just close up.  Perhaps if you believe there is demand - then start your own ebay store for vintage gear?

edit: Forgot to mention, 10 years is a long time, especially regarding hardware.  I don't know how any vintage electronics store would maintain a stock of the specific things you want for that long.

--- End quote ---

we are not talking about sellers with a warehouse, but rather private sellers who randomly sell stuff.

10 years ago it was not rare to see people passing evaluation-boards from home to home, today ... it's not what I see on eBay.

--- End quote ---

Thats my point - private sellers are even less likely to maintain a stock, so once most of them have sold their surplus/used dev boards, they have no more to sell?  I'm sure eval boards do get traded around, and ebay has plenty (at least from the brief search I just did) but perhaps not of the kind you are interested in.
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