Buying Used Products On Ebay?

Discussion in Stores Reviews, Comments & Complaints started by Norjak71 • Aug 17, 2016.

  1. Norjak71

    Norjak71Member

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    Would you trust used electronics on eBay? I'm looking for a iPhone current gen and several are listed below market value and the sellers all have good ratings and great seller profiles. Has anyone bought anything electronic wise off ebay used and what precautions did you take?
     
  2. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    Do your research well. Look for negative feedback first. You need to know what the worst will be should you buy something from any seller. If a seller has lots of negative feedback then you shouldn't buy anything from them.

    Buy from sellers who've been on ebay for a long time and if they've earn the "power-seller" logo then this would be the right person to buy what you need from.

    And once you are ready to buy something, contact the seller and ask them some questions about the product you want to buy. If you don't get a response fast then you should try to find another seller.
     
  3. cluckeyo

    cluckeyoActive Member

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    @Denis Hard@Denis Hard said it all. If all his items check off, then you would probably be pretty safe in purchasing. You just want to make sure you have a very conscientious seller. Someone who is will to back up what they sell with their own reputation. So be sure and check that seller feedback. No one with a good reputation on eBay is going to try to deliberately sell something shoddy.
     
  4. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I bought a couple of 2nd hand phones on Ebay, 1 had hidden defects on it and the other lasted only for 2 months. On another site, I was lucky to buy a barely used phone with accessories too. It had no scratches! So I guess just be cautious and vigilant. If the price is too good to be true, then it probably is.
     
  5. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I too totally agree with Denis Hard! You absolutely have to take as many precautions as you can to stay safe. The thing with eBay is that even with all that homework and caution, you could still be scammed. Then again, that could still happen anywhere, whether offline or online. I also like to focus on the negative feedback, because I feel that's likely to be where you're able to expose anything you may want to avoid. Although I'm interested in knowing what the seller does to please his/her customers, I'm almost always more curious to know why the customers are unhappy. I look at the ratings and try to stick with 96% and over. It's the risk you take, I guess.
     
  6. Krissttina Isobe

    Krissttina IsobeWell-Known Member

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    I haven't bought anything from ebay. I buy from amazon and they are very good. They got sales, they got free shipping, they got sellers that give free shipping and the products are just as advertised. The thing is I'd like to sell some of my things too, so I'm learning about things. Today I just saw a commercial about t-mobile giving free phones with paying for connections through t-mobile, sounds like a good deal? I saw another commercial for Tracfones at Walmart. If you go to walmart.com and in their search box put tracfone you'll see all the different deals. Good luck!
     
  7. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    I have never purchased a used product from Ebay, at least not to my knowledge anyway. So I may have accidentally. I am usually looking for the cheapest product, with quality, and from a seller who has a seller pay return policy. It doesn't state whether or not the product has been used does it?
     
  8. rz3300

    rz3300Active Member

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    Well I am still trying to not let my negative experiences with Ebay in the past really sour me to using it in the future, but it is hard to do that because I like to trust the place I shop, and the fact is is that there are just so many options out there that I can just use another site that I trust. That said, though, Ebay does have some good deals, so if you find one, I would just say make sure that you do your research on the seller, and then when you are done, do some more research.
     
  9. Happyflowerlady

    HappyflowerladyWell-Known Member

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    I also agree with everything that @Denis Hard@Denis Hard suggests, and I have one further suggestion that has worked well for me. I have bought used Kindles on ebay, and I like the ones that say they are recondtioned. Some are just reconditioned by the owner, and that just usually means that they have reset everything back to the factory standards; but there are businesses which buy used phones and tablets, and then go through them and recondition them to like new.
    When you are searching for an item, you can choose new, used, or recondtioned, or just have the whole mix thrown in together if you do not select one special type.
    I have never bought a phone on ebay; but if someone has a fairly new one, and is just trading up, or something similar to that, then I think that you have an excellent chance of getting one that works fine.
     
  10. whysewserious

    whysewseriousMember

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    I buy clothes or other wardrobe goods from eBay all the time, and thus far have been fortunate to not have any issues.

    I was in the market for finding a smart phone off of their sight at one point, but shied away from it because it seemed like many of the phone offers were also attached to suspicious phone plans as well. Make sure to read the fine print, and then read it again.
     
  11. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

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    I've bought and sold electronics on eBay. I'm always careful, and check out the seller, their feedback, etc. Ebay has made it more difficult to do so, but you can still somewhat determine whether the person can be trusted. Usually, if the person doesn't accept returns, eBay will back up the transaction. If you pay by PayPal and there's an issue, you can file a case with them, and if you choose to use a credit card instead, they will usually back you up if there's a problem. I see lots of electronics sold on Facebook groups and sales apps, but I think I would stick to eBay or maybe Amazon for this type of transaction, because you have more recourse if there's an issue.
     
  12. gmckee1985

    gmckee1985Active Member

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    I don't have any qualms about buying used items off Ebay. You've just got to do your due diligence and make sure you're buying from a seller who has a long track record of being reliable and selling the products as listed. You shouldn't buy from new members or those who have a bad reputation or rating. For the most part I've had pleasant experiences buying from Ebay users. I would recommend it.
     
  13. Casiox

    CasioxActive Member

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    You have to make sure it's a good seller, first off you have to take a look at the customer reviews in order to search up for any bad comment the seller may have, you also have to ask him as many questions as you want just to make sure it's a responsible seller, and the last advice, always, always look up for several options, the first one is not always the best.