ebay good for selling, bad for buying?

[cjhillman]

What to people think about ebay. I've noticed that there doesnt seem to be any pattern to what something is worth to what it goes for etc.

I've really been after a base model 3 door mk3 escort lately. Whenever one comes up its just goes for a mental price (theres one up there know that id love but cant afford), even if its been off the road for ages. Yet i noticed for some reason the iconic golf gti mk2 in similar state went the other day for £165!! whats the deal?

Am i just misjudging car prices? I always guess stuff like vw golfs would be more sort after due to them being prestige cars etc.

On the other hand Xr3i mk4s seem to be on ebay for £1200 - £3950 and with no bids? I'm thinking people are expecting they can get the much more than there worth.

I think maybe i'm being a bit sore... i know its good if your selling something. There just doesn’t seem to be any bargins… ford side.

[BenzBoy]

3-door Mk3 Escort prices have been climbing steadily for a few years - a nice tidy 1.1 or 1.3 shell is nice for people building XR3 / RST reps. I've found Ford prices often go daft. VW Golf Mk2 prices have been going up too, but for some reason only sound ones seem to fetch strong money - my theory is that there are more Mk2 Golfs on the road than Mk3 Escorts so people have more choice, so prices stay a bit lower and people avoid the snotters.

There are times when stuff just doesn't go for what you'd expect, or for more than you think is sane, but I think ebay has always been like that! ;D

[IDY]

Mar 8, 2011 23:08:47 GMT BenzBoy said:

There are times when stuff just doesn't go for what you'd expect, or for more than you think is sane, but I think ebay has always been like that! ;D

This is not just an ebay thing, it happens in tradition auctions as well

[cjhillman]

I guess so. Its just a bit gutting sometimes. Does seem like some non Xr3 Xr3i models are going for more. i'll get mine some day. Just seemed like it was a bit worse latley.

[mrabody]

Leaving aside quality of ads/photos etc, eBay can seem pretty random at times. Similar cars sold a couple of weeks apart will fetch completely different prices.

If you're having trouble finding the car you want, try some other websites such as Gumtree.

[surprisingskoda]

it's just how auctions go.

Tonight at a local auction an Isuzu Trooper with very similar spec to one I bought there a couple of months ago went for twice what I paid.

I've bought things off ebay, waited a couple of weeks and put it on with better pics and doubled my money.

Auctions just depend on who sees it when, what else is advertised at the same time, and a whole load of other factors no-one can predict!

[rld14]

It's the nature of eBay. I collect old US coins and have seen shocking stuff on there. A nice, professionally graded coin does $75 and then one that's in similar condition but damaged does $100.

Luck of the draw really.

[popuptoaster]

Ebay works on supply and demand, simple as that, if there are more people wanting mk3 escorts than there are cars available the prices will be high.

Mk2 golfs probably cheaper becuase the VW fan boys have been keeping them alive over the years while the mk3 escort largely got ignored in favour of RWD ford stuff so there will be less left.

[damageandy]

Mar 8, 2011 23:03:27 GMT cjhillman said:

Yet I noticed for some reason the iconic golf gti mk2 in similar state went the other day for £165!! whats the deal?

i think a part of it is because the people wanting escorts are looking for reasonable shell, but they are not afraid of doing alot of work welding wise, and are older so have more cash and skills to do the work themselves.
where as people buying golfs tend to be young lads who havnt learned welding etc skills so a car with no mot isnt a a good option for them.

[ims]

depends on if you have more than one person that wants it like all auctions if only one person takes a shine to it it goes for nowt if you have two or more people looking at something the price will rise, car prices are all over at the mo, there was a time when i could buy something in mot it and know what id get now its a full on lottery as theres fewer punters and less money

[pablopancake]

it depends on how moronic the other bidders are.

nothing amazes more than an auction with a stack of bids on it from the start, surely it makes more sense with ebay to wait until the last minute/seconds to bang on a bid, thats the only way i ever get anything for a decet price on the bay or evil

bidding from the off just gives other bidders the chance to think/research before they decide to counter bid

[Gem]

I'm close to giving up with Ebay at present. I sold my wheels twice on there and both times I've been let down. Fed up of it now.

[MrSpeedy]

I tend to find it's better for buying and cr@p for selling tbh.

I've snagged some proper bargains off of there, but can never seem to realise a sensible price for things I've sold

[maladroit]

Ebay is a strange beast and can be very hit and miss...

I'm kinda new at selling and recently listed a fender shirt, hawaiian (sp?) style, put it up at £5 buy it now, or best offer and didn't get so much as a sniff, no watchers, nothing

A week later, I relisted it with a 99p start and knocked a wee bit off the P&P and it eventually sold for £19.99 Same pics, same basic listing content. You just never know, depends on who is looking for what at the time...

[fatbaldbloke]

Mar 9, 2011 10:53:30 GMT pablopancake said:

it depends on how moronic the other bidders are.

nothing amazes more than an auction with a stack of bids on it from the start, surely it makes more sense with ebay to wait until the last minute/seconds to bang on a bid, thats the only way I ever get anything for a decet price on the bay or evil

bidding from the off just gives other bidders the chance to think/research before they decide to counter bid

This.

If you see something you like, add it to your watch list, decide you maximum budget and wait until the end of the auction before showing your hand. Also, bid weird amounts. If you're prepared to pay £500 for something, it's worth bidding something like £507.23. Those odd pounds and pennies have won me many auctions in the past.

As far as buying and selling, with the way that ebay keeps setting itself up more in favour of the dodgy buyer, I'm loath to sell anything there anymore.

[elmotheewokking]

Mar 9, 2011 10:53:30 GMT pablopancake said:

nothing amazes more than an auction with a stack of bids on it from the start, surely it makes more sense with ebay to wait until the last minute/seconds to bang on a bid, thats the only way I ever get anything for a decet price on the bay or evil

bidding from the off just gives other bidders the chance to think/research before they decide to counter bid

Yup. Got three identical items in my watch list at the moment All finishing within a few hours of each other.
The one with the most expensive postage had a minor bidding war with 4 days left on it and shot up to £25... The other two are still under £4.
Really does amaze me sometimes.
You just need to know how to work it.

[cjhillman]

Yeah i think its all about the gamble with people. if you put something on at 99p it can go nuts. It worked once for me when i sold my last car. I had this saxo that was worth about £50 scrap when scrap was bad and got £200 for it. i think the guy was gonna do it up, but then relised he couldn't (according to the DVLA site)

The car i want is ending in 2 hours, think I'm gonna try and not bid. its going for way to much. considering one here went for £400 the other week and one for £250 round my end. just missed out ther.

I also have had bargins. I'm a guitarist and Bought a cheaper range Fender strat for £166 when it should have been £500 in the shop. its one of the best things i've bought.

[popuptoaster]

Mar 9, 2011 13:51:19 GMT fatbaldbloke said:

Mar 9, 2011 10:53:30 GMT pablopancake said:

it depends on how moronic the other bidders are.

nothing amazes more than an auction with a stack of bids on it from the start, surely it makes more sense with ebay to wait until the last minute/seconds to bang on a bid, thats the only way I ever get anything for a decet price on the bay or evil

bidding from the off just gives other bidders the chance to think/research before they decide to counter bid

This.

If you see something you like, add it to your watch list, decide you maximum budget and wait until the end of the auction before showing your hand. Also, bid weird amounts. If you're prepared to pay £500 for something, it's worth bidding something like £507.23. Those odd pounds and pennies have won me many auctions in the past.

As far as buying and selling, with the way that ebay keeps setting itself up more in favour of the dodgy buyer, I'm loath to sell anything there anymore.

cant be arsed with all that mucking about, i decide what i want to pay and whack a bid on up to that amount, anything up to a week later i get an email saying i won or lost the item, got better things to do than sit staring at ebay counting off seconds.

[akku]

eBay is like any other place where the general public go to buy and sell. You will get bargains and you will find people trying to rip a brother off. You'll find people with no clue what their stuff is worth. Look in the Autotrader you'll see cars which are lower miles, nicer condition and cheaper than some others asking more for a worse car... With eBay if you have a good advert you tend to get a good price. As a buyer you want to look for the rubbish adverts and bag a bargain. I need to stop keep reminding people but my Caddy was a blinding bargain off eBay because it was badly listed. If I listed it as well as I did when I sold my Mustang I could double my money or maybe more.

I said it before and I'll say it again. Worst place to sell stuff for getting time wasters and no-shows is forums. Loads of people “definitely” will have your car, wheels, parts, whatever and then that’s the last you hear of them.

As for the relative values of Ford vs VW? Meh, that’s either supply & demand or scene tax depending on which way you want to look at it.

[akku]

Mar 9, 2011 18:35:16 GMT popuptoaster said:

cant be arsed with all that mucking about, I decide what I want to pay and whack a bid on up to that amount, anything up to a week later I get an email saying I won or lost the item, got better things to do than sit staring at ebay counting off seconds.

or use a sniping tool.