Buying thru E-Bay

[Motig]

I've done the odd purchase on Trade Me but now I'm thinking of expanding out into the scary world of E-Bay. So what should I look out for if purchasing something from the USA thru E-Bay. By that I mean how do you find out what a correct frieght price is etc, I don't use Paypal here but presume it would be wise to do so with anything from overseas. Basically how to you guys check that your not getting ripped off? Its a bit far to go to sort out any problems face to face.
Any hints and tips gratefully accepted

[Ramius]

Hi, heavy E Bay user in Australia when I was there, and found it was fantastic to get things from. Not once did I ever have a problem. As for checking out on postage, have a look at the uspost website and calculate it from there. To make sure you don't get ripped off, you could try using one of those middle man companies, but that all costs more.

Just watch the feedback of others that you are buying from, it is usually a tell tale sign of things to come.

[FEINT]

I started buying through ebay about a month ago. You really have to ask the seller if they will ship overseas and if they do, HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST? That is pretty much the deciding factor. Shipping can become quite expensive.

Usually, I get them to ship with USPS (United States Postal Service), usually cheaper than FEDex or DHL etc....

Payment is quite secure as it is through paypal. I haven't had any problems so far. I just stay away from sellers with no or little feedback. Some of the sellers on Ebay will have an online shop as well. Pretty much, their email is listed so you can always email them with questions. Some of these sellers go through thousands of trades in a month.

Hope this helps.

[Rainbow Wizard]

I've done the odd purchase on Trade Me but now I'm thinking of expanding out into the scary world of E-Bay.

You can get an online freight quote from UPS (can be expensive but usually very reliable) and US mail. Direct email and/or phone calls with the seller are a good way of building trust. I guess the more you have to lose the more caution you will muster. I have been happy with my 3 Ebay purchases, 2 from USA and one from UK.

[FEINT]

I found these sites quite informative. As an alternative to Ebay. You can check prices to see if Ebay is worth buying from. Of course, this is only relevant to motorcycle parts.

I have never purchased anything from them. I have only purchased from one of them which is JCmotors.

Thanks to Paco27im for supplying some of them!

www.indysuperbike.com
www.kneedraggers.com
store.58cycle.com
www.parts411.com
www.mawonline.com
www.starcycle.com

Hope these help.

[Motig]

Thanks for the info,folks. I'll now do a bit of browsing to spot all those 'bargains' just sitting there waiting for only me.

[ManDownUnder]

I started buying through ebay about a month ago. You really have to ask the seller if they will ship overseas and if they do, HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST? That is pretty much the deciding factor. Shipping can become quite expensive.

Usually, I get them to ship with USPS (United States Postal Service), usually cheaper than FEDex or DHL etc....

Payment is quite secure as it is through paypal. I haven't had any problems so far. I just stay away from sellers with no or little feedback. Some of the sellers on Ebay will have an online shop as well. Pretty much, their email is listed so you can always email them with questions. Some of these sellers go through thousands of trades in a month.

Hope this helps.

I found it's cheaper to have an EBay item posted to someone in the US (if you know anyone) and they post it on. Don't know why, but it can shred to postal costs - just my 5c

MDU

[geoffm]

I've done the odd purchase on Trade Me but now I'm thinking of expanding out into the scary world of E-Bay. So what should I look out for if purchasing something from the USA thru E-Bay. By that I mean how do you find out what a correct frieght price is etc, I don't use Paypal here but presume it would be wise to do so with anything from overseas. Basically how to you guys check that your not getting ripped off? Its a bit far to go to sort out any problems face to face.
Any hints and tips gratefully accepted

Biggest problem is finding somone who will ship overseas - many people won't ship outside the US.
I have found it great for BMW parts, which are otherwise expensive or unavailable here.I usually get stuff shipped USPS (www.usps.com for the calculator). Thus far, all has been good. Got a Corbin seat, ABS computer, video on servicing the bike and a koni shock (still on the water) and yearts ago, a Quadrant Dynamics shock for the RG500.
I use Harvex to track bids, search (US only) and place bids. There are other programs
Geoff

[Ixion]

Biggest problem is finding somone who will ship overseas - many people won't ship outside the US.
I have found it great for BMW parts, which are otherwise expensive or unavailable here.I usually get stuff shipped USPS (www.usps.com for the calculator). Thus far, all has been good. Got a Corbin seat, ABS computer, video on servicing the bike and a koni shock (still on the water) and yearts ago, a Quadrant Dynamics shock for the RG500.
I use Harvex to track bids, search (US only) and place bids. There are other programs
Geoff

Who do you use for BMW parts, if you don't mind me asking

[Motig]

Um,whats Harvex?