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Questions About Ebay Items

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853 views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  WarbossAntoni 
#1 ·
Hi there! I am not sure if this is the right spot to post this, but it wouldn't let me post in the trading area.

Anywho, I found some deals on Ebay I am considering.

Space Marine Terminator Assault Squad - eBay (item 180310665160 end time Dec-07-08 20:26:27 PST)

3 Codices and Chronicles 2004 - eBay (item 180310666776 end time Dec-07-08 20:38:37 PST)

Space Marine Whirlwind - eBay (item 180310667382 end time Dec-07-08 20:44:17 PST)

All of those seem like pretty good deals, but how can I be sure? I haven't bought any Warhammer models off Ebay before, so I want to make sure before I do anything.

Also, this

Games Workshop Army Case (With 90 Models!) - eBay (item 180310669402 end time Dec-07-08 21:00:54 PST)

seems like a really good deal (considering the case is already pretty expensive). I just wanted to check with the pros before I did anything stupid.

Thanks for all the help!
 
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#2 ·
Well the things you'll want to keep in mind are the same things you always look out for when buying anything on e-bay. You need to read the description carefully and look at the pictures so you know for sure what you're getting. Be wary of anything that doesn't have a picture. And you should also be aware of the reputation people have. If they have a big number next to their name, it means a lot of people have recommended them. Those last two links (the Whirlwind and the Army Case) come from a guy with a reputation of zero, so you're taking your chances there. I would advise against it unless it's a really good deal. And the army case in particular, he tells you you're getting what's inside but he can't take any pictures of it? That's suspicious. It might be worth taking a chance, that's up to you, just be aware that it's always what you see is what you get so you are taking your chances.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Definitely be wary of someone with 0 rep, but at the same time, they have to get rep somehow. It's likely that it's a new eBay account. To build up reputation on eBay, you can buy or sell, so long as the buyer/seller in your transaction leaves positive feedback.

The Assault Squad and the Whirlwind appear to be reasonable deals, though keep in mind the fact that they are eBay auctions, and are all but guaranteed to grow in price as time goes on. As far as the codices, I'd say don't waste your time; two of those books are out of date codices (Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines), which is why, I'd guess, he decided to cover up most of the covers.

Be sure to get more pictures of the contents of the army box, it does sound a little fishy that he hasn't put pictures up there already.

It does help, however, that most of his items appear to have a 7 day return policy on them, so if you get some bad items, you can always return them.



 
#5 ·
I would not buy any of those auctions. And it looks like no-one else would either, judging by the lack of bids on any of them.

1. Seller has 0 feedback.
2. Seller has not posted pictures of what is in the carry case.
3. Seller is in the USA, therefore - assuming he plans on sending you items - the postage costs will be high.

Having said that, Paypal does cover you for non-appearance of goods (assuming you pay via the 'Pay Now' button or with the Seller's advertised e-mail address), so if you do want to risk it, pay that way.
 
#6 ·
Even with buyer protection, it doesnt always guarantee you get your money back (i had to learn that the hard way :sigh: )

I have bought from people with 0 feedback before. I decided whether to buy from them based on their communications. If they responded quickly and answered all your questions really well, then i would feel more like trusting them.

So if he replies to your message, manages to get you more pictures, that would be great! But minimum would be an exact list, and exact number of figures included, whether any were broken etc.

Also, do you live in the USA? (im looking at the uk ebay, and he does not have any shipping options to the uk available)


*** Overall i would not buy from this guy ***


Normally when you sell things, you want to advertise and show off your items to make them more attractive to people

This guy however hides his items (eg the out of date codex books are covered up)
And who knows whats lurking in the case.
He must feel they would turn people off if they actually saw the figures.

Having said that, it might be because its his first time selling, so he doesn't really know what he is doing, and how to take the best photos. But if he got that wrong, who knows what else he would get wrong! Overall i wouldnt take the risk
 
#7 ·
Yeah, that's pretty much it. It isn't a given that people with 0 feedback are bad sellers, it's just an unknown and a reason to be a little more cautious. The flip side is that you sometimes get the best deals from inexperienced sellers who list things in the wrong place and don't describe them adequately or take pictures. That weeds out other potential buyers and keeps the price low. If you're willing to risk being disappointed you might get a better deal. The important thing is to be aware when you are taking a risk and adjust your expectations accordingly.
 
#11 ·
are you kidding? I thought everybody new how ebay worked. It is THE best place to buy miniature at a significant discount. I'm practically hooked. I didn't look at yours specifically, but I wouldn't worrry too much about low feedback, only bad feedback.

Ebay's badass dude, just bid on some stuff you want and don't bid past:
75% retail on new stuff
65% painted
50% painted badly or kinda messed up/older stuff.

have fun.
 
#14 · (Edited)
This is how I do ebay, I know some of these points ahve kinda already been made but here goes

-most things, especially marines tend to go for pretty close to what they are worth. You're only really likely to get ridiculously good deals if they've mislabeled it or something. (I saw 10 wraith guard labeled as the old name 'ghost warriors' totally missed my most people and they went for about £5)

- If you use paypal you do get insurance, so an unknown seller is not an unacceptable risk (although the protection is not total as other people have said)

- Most bids will happen on the last day, possibly the last hour, and often the last 10 seconds or so. Don't assume that that tank going for 99p in 3 days will be anything like that when the times comes. Be online just before the end and watch it

- Look at the photos carefully, and look at the descriptions for words they don't use. I've seen home made conversions and epic scale miniatures labeled to look a lot like full size official 40k stuff, but people very rarely lie outright.

- Check to see if what you are buying is the latest version if that matters. Of those codex's you linked to 3 are out of date and the 4th will be within the year.

-Remember a badly painted metal model can be stripped, so are often good deals, and badly painted plastic can't, and repainting over a painted model can obscure the detail, especially on badly painted non thinned ones.
 
#15 ·
Word of Advice: don't link ebay auctions. Someone might jump in from lib.
Honestly, don't worry tooo much about 0 feedback. As long as they are willing and quick to answer any questions, it shouldn't be a problem. Most likely they're just starting out - it's hard to get a lot of feedback unless your a shop or sell many many things.
All those deals look fine. As the person also linked pics to the case, I'd think there's no problem in bidding for it. Word of Caution though - buying new items, especailly from shops, is often pointless. You'll end up with the auction over retail ( personally, if it's going for more then 60%, go to a discount retailer ), because people are either too lazy to bother buying it from a shop directly, or they just want to win. Unless it's OOP or unpopular ( marines don't fall here ), you're better off at chaosorc or thewarstore.
 
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