I've just been reading the Welcome forum and a particular new chap posted something that indicated that he had had a poor experience of buying from eBay. I'm a new at this malarky and I had been thinking that ebay might have been a good source of some of the large amount of stuff I will be needing during the coming months. Do you more experienced modellers believe I should steer clear of it and just buy from retailers as and when I can afford it? Or is there other sources that I am yet to discover?
Hi Modelbry,
eBay is generally pretty good. Like anything there are always some dodgy folk out there. Am sure there will be more advice but I advise to always pay with Paypal. Together with eBay themselves you have a better chance of resolving any disputes. I've only had two and they were postal problems.
The other thing I would advise, as you are new, is to only buy locos new from a shop (or eBay shop) as they will run and you have comeback if any problems. Second hand ones usually need a bit of tweaking whatever the seller says and if, like me, you're not quite sure what you're doing to fix any minor problems at least you have peace of mind.
Hope helps.
Cheers weave :beers:
Thanks Weave. I take on board (pardon the pun) what you say about locomotives. There do seem like there's some quite good savings that can be had on things like track, scenery and rolling stock.
I always look at the feedback %. If they're a big number seller, for example, greater than 1000 transactions and their feedback is 100%, than you'll probably be fine. If their feedback is less than 100% then look and see why, is it because of slow delivery, or is it because the item was 'Not as described'.
I recently bought a Duchess, second hand, "runs beautifully, ex-shop display". When I received it and tested it the wheels were filthy from running and it waddled like a duck. I spoke to the vendor who immediately sent me a returns request postage paid email, refunded my money, including postage, and took it back.
Do your homework on seller's, it only takes a moment.
To date I've picked up 7 Jubilees, a '5', a Western, a SDJR 4f, an Ivatt, from what I recall from EBay. No problems with any of them. Saved myself a fair amount enabling me to get some of them professionally repainted.
Be aware of what you're looking to buy. Study photos carefully, if the photos aren't clear, ask for better ones.
I've bought and sold loads on eBay. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. Auctions are random. That randomness can be exciting and fun*.
Do your research. Look at a seller's feedback ratings. If the listing doesn't tell you everything you want to know, ask questions of the seller. If you don't like the answers, walk away. Not everything is a bargain. Always search the wider internet for the item (you're thinking of bidding on) to see if any retailers have stock and what the current retail price might be. I've bought on eBay thinking I was getting a bargain, to then find the item cheaper from a retailer.
What is the item worth to you? Decide before bidding what the item is worth to you. Set yourself a realistic limit and stick to it. Don't get tempted in to a bidding war where you lose sight of that limit in the heat of battle. So you lose, with the item selling for 50p more than your limit. If you kept bidding you might have won. You might've won by paying £50 more than your limit! Quite often following an item selling for a stellar price, more are listed (hoping to cash in) and tip the buyer:seller ratio in your favour!
Rails of Sheffield are one worth following. A very good eBay trader. I've had many 'best offers' accepted. I've had to return a couple of items, post free for a full refund with no hassle!
* What is it they say on the betting adverts? "When the fun stops, stop!"
:beers:
Some excellent advice there thank you all. :)
I have had some excellent bargains from eBay, including recently a DCC fitted American locomotive for £60! I have had a half dozen or so problems in the past, but have only had to involve eBay once to get my money back - a polite eBay message usually sorts the problem out. All of the above advice is well worth following, particularly the 'do not get into a bidding war' - if you lose out, there will be another one along some time.
The worst products and most difficult transactions I've had have consistently been from buying from Facebook groups. eBay has been broadly faultless, I have no qualms buying from eBay!
Quote from: RailGooner on October 22, 2019, 12:29:07 PM
What is the item worth to you? Decide before bidding what the item is worth to you. Set yourself a realistic limit and stick to it. Don't get tempted in to a bidding war where you lose sight of that limit in the heat of battle.
This is an underrated comment.
Live by it, otherwise you'll overbid and regret it.
Secondly, watch the item and bid at the end, don't bid early. Bidding early increases the chance of competition.
Be prepared to walk away, some items just get overbid by ... 'odd' people. You might think that loco is worth £70 second hand? Some batsh*t will bid RRP on the thing! ;D :D
Stick to RailGooner's rule and all will be fine, there's always another day.
Also, don't just search "N Gauge", but also the mis-spellled "N Guage" .
Quite a few bargins to be had with few bidders due to the mis-spelling.
I picked up a new Class 42 Warship for £55, and it's an absolute stonker, my favourite loco..
Hi,
I would agree with all that has gone before. However all are concentrating on the auction part of e-bay. With fewer local shops it often time beneficial to buy items and pay postage than travel miles only to find your favourite shop has not got what you want. Of course there is also the option of buying from shops direct so check out the prices.
The point I really want to make is that some harder to find products, particularly kits from small makers, are only available through e-bay shops at a fixed price. There is not inherently anything wrong with them and with more and more people into 3D printing this may be a growth area particular with the supposed small sales in the N gauge market. About 57,000 of the 60,000 odd current e-bay N gauge (or N scale) items are not auctions.
Irrespective of how you buy, use PayPal for your own benefit and read the description carefully not just the heading before making a bid.
Thanks again everyone for all the tips.
Quote from: TrevL on October 22, 2019, 02:59:34 PM
Also, don't just search "N Gauge", but also the mis-spellled "N Guage" .
Quite a few bargins to be had with few bidders due to the mis-spelling.
I picked up a new Class 42 Warship for £55, and it's an absolute stonker, my favourite loco..
I like this one in particular but wish you hadn't told everyone :D
Ebay is a wonderful global window on what's out there. It's definitely my main source of purchases these days, though I do carry out research with other shops before buying. There are some great bargains to be found, but also some seriously overpriced rubbish. It does take time to gain experience on how to recognise the gems from the garbage. Bypass 2nd hand locos for sale if the seller can't be bothered to include clear and sharp photos including showing the underside and the condition of the mechanism.
Follow the excellent advice given in the previous posts about setting limits and not getting drawn into bidding wars. I tend to play the auctions the opposite way to some, in that I'll place a bid fairly early on then leave it alone and not go back to the item. If I "win" then great, if I'm outbid then so be it.
If it's an auction and not a buy it now place the item in your watching list, then do a search for similar items (include worldwide on the location), and select sold/completed items, it should give you an idea on going prices for items.
If it's a buy it now then time is your enemy, you can do the research but in the process of doing so the item sells.
Watch out for excessive shipping costs if buying from overseas, that can make the difference in buying from the hobby shop or ordering online.
If you buy something and it's not as perfect as you thought post a message here on the forum, we have many experienced people that can advise on potential repairs, also look out for items with bits missing, eg, class 86s with broken pantographs, coaches, wagons and locos with broken/missing buffers etc (many can be fixed, but some parts are out of stock and production)
To avoid overbidding I use Gixen a sniping app, put in your maximum bid and set it to bid on your behalf 3 seconds before the auction ends. If your maximum bid is bettered before the auction end they tell you by email. I ignore this and loose the auction instead of getting into a bidding war.
If you are buying bits and pieces from China be aware shipping can take up to 2 months and I have found that now the non delivery rate is around 20% which means you have to apply for a refund and reorder from somebody else and wait another 2 months to see if it arrives. A total wait of 5 months.
Geoff