[Czilla9000]

Hello, I just started a Ebay and Paypal account. Anything I should keep in mind when auctioning for headphones. I am very new to this.




Thank you!

 

[dokebi]

Most listings are not a bargain. They're either the same price as most retail stores or more.

1) Cross-reference pricing of items with multiple stores and sources before bidding. (Sometimes the item may seem like a bargain but the condition of the product might not be so hot and sellers frequently rip you off on shipping and handling.)

2) Avoid buying from sellers with low references. Everyone starts somewhere but let another person risk buying from a new person.

3) Try using paypal or other online payment services to pay for an item. The disputes and policies are frequently less of a headache compared to a postal money order and such.

4) Goodluck. I'm glad I'm over my ebay fixation.

 

[BoardC3]

If you really want something but you cant quite afford it look for misspelled auction titles. I once get a $300 MF component for $75 after shipping because it was labeled "Music Fidelity" when it should have been "musical fidelity"

 

[meech]

[size=medium]THAT'S FRIGGIN' GREAT!!!!!!! I GOTTA HEAD TO EBAY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,STRAIGHT TO THE ILLITERATE SECTION.[/size]

 

[ClearYourMind]

Before bidding on headphones, I highly recomend you contact the seller. Ask if there is any warranty, ask about the return policy in case your not satified, or if the item is defective.

Just contacting the seller for any question is a good idea. You'll know if there very responsive. You also get a feel for their tone.

Read all there negitive feedbacks as well as a lot of their possitive feedbacks.

I would price around at Epinons.com & ResellerRatings.com.

I been looking at Ebay alot lately. I bought things from differn't people, sometimes I get riped but usually things go good. Right now, I'm seeing alot of the Sennheiser 580's and HD590's for about $149-$159. Usually with no factory warranty. I won't buy an item unless it still has it's warranty. For the 580's I seen at JandR.com for only $163 free s&h but with a warranty and a no questions ask return policy. I'm planning on buying from JandR.com this time. But it just goes to show, Ebay isn't the cheapest. It's just ok. You have to know what your buying and really make sure the price is worth it. And if the price is to good to be true... well i'm sure you know the rest.

 

[wallijonn]

when you first bid, bid low and then increase in $5 increments. do not put in a high price. if you change your mind, you're stuck. likewise, bid half of what you think it's worth, max. and don't go over that set limit. don't worry, the same item will show up later. sooner or later you'll get what you want for the price you're willing to pay.

search your local sources for sales. i found senn hd570 for $40 at Fry Electronics. they were going for $100 on Ebay. and don't even consider buying a wireless headphone without visiting junk yards. you can usually find the same $100 ebay unit for $15 at Fry Electronics, CircuitCity, BestBuy, etc. (like the Koss Porta-Pros which are supposedly going for $10 at Fry Electronics).

Be careful when a seller lists the original list price. he may want to get all his money back, but like a lot of things, like cars, you'll never recoup the full list price. would you pay $3000 for a beat up Pinto?

do NOT activate a PayPal connection to your checking account. if you contest a charge, tough luck; the money is gone.

READ THE WHOLE AD! many times you'll see "does not work" in small print. LOOK AT THE PICTURES. many times heat sinks will be missing, knobs missing, dents (dropped cameras), etc.

do a SAVE AS of the ad in case the seller changes something.

ALWAYS ASK WHAT THE SHIPPING WILL BE before bidding. many sellers charge $50 and above for shipping.

SEE IF THE SELLER IS IN YOUR OWN STATE. why pay FedEx to ship it to Tennessee and then back to your state if you can just hop in your car and pick up the item? you can do an advanced search for equipment that is listed only in your state.

get an idea of what the unit you want is usually going for. marantz 1060 amps have gone for an average of $75 in mint condition and $125 in good condition. learn patience. bid smart. ask questions. get guarantees.

always get insurance. let the seller have the headache of fighting it out with the Post Office, UPS, DHL, FedEx. do not accept crushed boxes. send them back and email the seller. major headaches will ensue, thereof.

 

[KR...]

Ebay is good for getting rare old stuff, many times newer items cost as much as retail and sometimes even more!

Research, research, research is my best advice.

 

[fredpb]

Don't expect to bid on something, try it out, and if you don't like it, return it. This is unreasonable on ebay. A seller pays for listing, selling, and pay services and postage and packing.

When I sell things, it's final. So know what you want before you bid.

If you want to "try out" policy, go to a retail outlet.

 

[Nightfall]

Quote:

Originally posted by KR... Ebay is good for getting rare old stuff, many times newer items cost as much as retail and sometimes even more! Research, research, research is my best advice.

Exactly right. I read an article some time back by a group that had reserched Ebay. They found that for items that were currently available for retail sale, the average price paid on Ebay was nearly 30% above LIST!

 

[andrzejpw]

Quote:

Don't expect to bid on something, try it out, and if you don't like it, return it.

I can not stress this enough. This is especially true for such items as headphones, where likes/dislikes may be very personal. Know what you are getting yourself into.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Do all your bidding and buying thru ESnipe!! I got so many tubes really cheap that way it wasn't funny. If you bid for items before they are really close to ending you often drive the price up too high too quickly. I signed up with them and used it for their free trial period, so it was free. After the trial its like 1% of the final auction price in fees. Which can be lowered by buying some of their Bid Points in bulk when they have them on sale. Which seems to be always!! I never had a problem with them and highly reco their services!!!

www.esnipe.com

 

[ClearYourMind]

Just a little question. Say if I wish to incresse my max bid amount on ebay, and I'm still the high bidder. If I simply bid again to change my high max, will it raise the price... or is there another way to raise my max bid amount.


Just wondering... I just made a bid for some HD 590's. Just got more money so now I can raise my max up $35.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally posted by ClearYourMind Just a little question. Say if I wish to incresse my max bid amount on ebay, and I'm still the high bidder. If I simply bid again to change my high max, will it raise the price... or is there another way to raise my max bid amount.

It will raise the bid count, but not your bid amount shown. As long as your the high bidder it shouldn't make your high bid go up when you bid again after deciding to go higher with your max bid.

 

[kelly]

I have found eBay patrons are willing to pay too much for Beyerdynamics and that Head-Fi members are willing to pay too much for Grado HP-1000s and Sony R10s listed on eBay (and likely anything else rare and no longer in production).

On the other hand, there was one reputable guy from Germany who sold me my Sennheiser HD600 and another who supposedly has a good price on Etymotics.

 

[ClearYourMind]

Quote:

Originally posted by ServinginEcuador Do all your bidding and buying thru ESnipe!! I got so many tubes really cheap that way it wasn't funny. If you bid for items before they are really close to ending you often drive the price up too high too quickly. I signed up with them and used it for their free trial period, so it was free. After the trial its like 1% of the final auction price in fees. Which can be lowered by buying some of their Bid Points in bulk when they have them on sale. Which seems to be always!! I never had a problem with them and highly reco their services!!! www.esnipe.com

Tell me more of this "eSnipe"...

Ok you sold me... I signed up for it. Seems some what easy i think. Although there is a program on download.com that does something similiar (which i never tried). I'm biding on some HD 590's. Hell this dudes feedback is so damn empressive, 360+ positives, no neg, 2 netruals and even they were postive. I was going to buy the headphones from Etronics, but I don't trust them. I was going to get them from JandR.com but this dude started his thing at $130 and I'm cheap as hell.

Hell I'm willing to spend over $160, and I doubt anyone else is on ebay, being that HiFiforLess sells them w/o a warranty for $159 and some other guy sells them for $149 also w/o a warranty. But I don't trust his feedback, so i'm going with this dude. I'll pay more if I trust who i'm buying from.

Got any tips for me when using eSnipes? I really want to win these 'phones from this particlar person. I don't trust the waiting till the last 6 seconds. I'm using the defult settings, do you know of a better setting?

I sware, I'm about to bust out with a voodoo ritual and some eZen **** just to win this auction.

The max I can spend (including the $8 s&h) is $180, which if i have to I will. I want these phones like Yesterday! But i'll settle for Now.