Ebay Was Usually Cheaper.

[Jockstar]

Ok. Firstly. How much for a Xbox 360 in LOS? The premium one with hard drive. Here in Oz you can buy a new one for around $535 and the core one for under $400. They have come down alot in price recently. I'm going to get one but just waiting till they come down a little more. But anyway. To my original title about Ebay. Since normally you can get good deals on things on Ebay i decided to have a look there. But its mad. Original new consoles are selling for more than they do in the shops??? So i guess what i'm saying is. Who in their right mind pays more for something that they can actually take back if there is a fault or something? I guess i'll have to bite the bullet and buy from a shop at the price they are at at the moment or wait another few months for the cost to go down. You can get some on Ebay that are a fraction less. Maybe 5 -10 dollars. Not much of a saving.

http://videogames.listings.ebay.com.au:80/...ListingItemList

[nikster]

I just cancelled my ebay account. Hackers are now targeting ebay accounts + I hadn't used it in years.

The fact is that people pay stupid prices for stuff on Ebay.

Great if you want to sell stuff - sell it on Ebay - people give you more than they'd pay in the store there!

If you want to buy stuff, look elsewhere.

Case in point, I recently bought a brand new in-stock Hitachi 7K200 laptop hard drive from Newegg.com. Cost: $259 at the time. Before buying, I decided to check out ebay. Turns out the same drive had just _sold_ there in an auction for $350. <deleted>??

[calibanjr.]

Ah, the old days. I used to build my own computers and for friends from parts bought at "computer shows" and on ebay when it was the beloved "internet yard sale" around 1997. It works best for the buyer when it's still done that way. You can still get your deal on something that somebody else doesn't really need and is trying to get a decent price. Buying new on ebay seems a bit weird, unless it's something you really can't get elsewhere.

[technocracy]

Ah, the old days. I used to build my own computers and for friends from parts bought at "computer shows" and on ebay when it was the beloved "internet yard sale" around 1997. It works best for the buyer when it's still done that way. You can still get your deal on something that somebody else doesn't really need and is trying to get a decent price. Buying new on ebay seems a bit weird, unless it's something you really can't get elsewhere.

Yep back in the old days - Ebay used to be full of bargains and secondhand stuff, an internet yard sale being a good description, but now it just full of scammers and new chinese goods at over inflated prices.

I used to use it all the time to pick up bargains but now I haven't looked at it in over a year.

Just to add in general now many things now like the OP are way more expensive via Ebay than looking around at online shops. People have got greedy - particularly with the shipping costs.

Edited September 8, 2007 by technocracy

[Jockstar]

At least if i pay in a shop. I have the fact if anything goes wrong i can walk back in and sort it out. If you buy on EBay you dont usually have that luxury. Might go today and purchase a 360 from JB Hi-Fi with the peace of mind that i can get a good deal. People are stupid to pay over the odds for stuff on Ebay.

[peter991]

I beg to differ. I have had an eBay Australia account for 10 years. During that time I have bought a lot of stock - mostly electronics. If you know WHO to buy from, you are usually well in front. For example, this week I bought a new LG laptop, with 2GB of RAM (60% of the price Harvey Norman charges) and an Apple IPod with 40GB of storage or 50% of HN's price.

The laptop came from Sydney, Australia and the iPod from Hong Kong. The laptop's shipping fee was $AUD25 and arrived 24 hours later, after I paid with PayPal. The iPod was shipped for free and took 48 hours to arrive.

Peter

[calibanjr.]

I beg to differ. I have had an eBay Australia account for 10 years. During that time I have bought a lot of stock - mostly electronics. If you know WHO to buy from, you are usually well in front. For example, this week I bought a new LG laptop, with 2GB of RAM (60% of the price Harvey Norman charges) and an Apple IPod with 40GB of storage or 50% of HN's price.

The laptop came from Sydney, Australia and the iPod from Hong Kong. The laptop's shipping fee was $AUD25 and arrived 24 hours later, after I paid with PayPal. The iPod was shipped for free and took 48 hours to arrive.

Peter

Ebay's been available in Oz for 10 years? That's way out of what I would have thought!

I would say that you're right on the WHO to buy from idea, that's the trick, though, isn't it? Some people don't have your luck. Definitely a good resource, also, for people needing things they can't get locally as well. Me, I just stick with it for weird second-hand stuff.

[Jockstar]

I beg to differ. I have had an eBay Australia account for 10 years. During that time I have bought a lot of stock - mostly electronics. If you know WHO to buy from, you are usually well in front. For example, this week I bought a new LG laptop, with 2GB of RAM (60% of the price Harvey Norman charges) and an Apple IPod with 40GB of storage or 50% of HN's price.

The laptop came from Sydney, Australia and the iPod from Hong Kong. The laptop's shipping fee was $AUD25 and arrived 24 hours later, after I paid with PayPal. The iPod was shipped for free and took 48 hours to arrive.

Peter

Not arguing with that. But its just mad that people will pay over the odds for the same thing they could buy cheaper at Harvey Norman or the likes. But some things are still cheaper on Ebay. Just at the moment i'm looking for a 360 and i cant get it much cheaper than a shop if you include the delivery charge..

[peter991]

Definitely a case of Buyer Beware. It is same when you buy anything. Shop around for the best price. For example, in Bangkok: Started at Big C, went to Pantip Plaza and ended up getting the best price at MBK.

Peter

[Firefoxx]

The thing about Ebay is that it's an open market. Sometimes you get good deals, sometimes you don't. The forces of demand and supply are very powerful there, so things that are in high demand, like the Wii, go for way more than the retail price (good luck finding them in stores in the US). Of course, many times you can find bargains, but usually it's from diligently searching, as these bargains don't crop up very often. There are also plenty of things which, if you buy at retail will be more expensive than Ebay, but if you're "in the know" about where to actually get them for cheap, then Ebay will be more expensive. I got into Ebay only once to buy something fairly small. I got it for a good price, but after that I never ordered again, since it just wasn't my thing, and took a bit too much effort.

[Jockstar]

I bought a 360 yesterday and the guy tested it out for me before hand. Just to check it was working. Couldnt have done that on Ebay.