What the hell happened to Ebay?

[huckbucket]

Been a while since I went there to buy or sell. Recently listed an item and noticed that it changed pretty dramatically from a place where individuals used to sell crap to a place where career junk salesmen abound. Seems hard to find sellers with less than 100 feedback votes and as a result deals seem very few and far between. Is it just me?

[Hugh Conway]

the fuckers who run ebay killed ebay by jacking fees through the roof and policy changes that marginalized all but those "power sellers" aka career made-in-china can't sell it through a legitimate market place crap vendors.

[WWCD]

Their hands off approach to fraud didn't help keep people around either.

[systemoverblow'd]

Not to mention sellers aren't allowed to give negative feedback anymore. It's fucking lame. Scammers paradise now.

[Hugh Conway]

Not to mention sellers aren't allowed to give negative feedback anymore. It's fucking lame. Scammers paradise now.

"ebay now" will change everything man. you are at the beach and want sunscreen? just dial up ebay now on your smart phone and they'll deliver it in 30 minutes.... when you are burnt to a crisp.

[MMP]

eBay is a fine auto parts store from what I can tell. My kid has a honda pilot and i picked up a starter, timing belt, and water pump inexpensively and fast.

[userA]

true that for boat shit too.
b

[Hugh Conway]

eBay is a fine auto parts store from what I can tell. My kid has a honda pilot and i picked up a starter, timing belt, and water pump inexpensively and fast.

yeah, I saved $20 on a timing belt kit that was jammed into a shittyhalf broken with dodgy brand names. But I saved $20! woohooo! Like I said: marketplace of last resort.

[4matic]

Just got some nice NIB spikeless golf shoes for $40 shipped.

Got some carbon fiber K2 Clicker bindings for $15 on a Buy it Now. They go for almost $300 in regular auctions.

Deals are still there but harder to find with all the retailer spam and it's still cheap compared to old classified advertising.

[east or bust]

Agree with all that has been said. Very rarely on there anymore. I find if you're looking for more niche items your chances of finding good deals gets better.

[Harry]

New skis on eBay are almost always $50-$100 more than bc.com or evo or even my local shop . Fuck eBay.

[MMP]

yeah, I saved $20 on a timing belt kit that was jammed into a shittyhalf broken with dodgy brand names. But I saved $20! woohooo! Like I said: marketplace of last resort.

Caveat emptor. Our boxes said Honda on them.

[skiATL]

ebay is useful, but you have to use it the right way.

Just get the ebay app, save searches for each item you are looking for, refine those searches (such as maximum price) and turn on notifications.

I've come across some seriously sick deals on drum equipment on ebay this summer. You just need to know what you want and be patient for it. It's pretty easy to view an item when the notification comes up, put it on your watchlist and come back for it later.

Ebay isn't that bad although I prefer craigslist.

[Hugh Conway]

Caveat emptor. Our boxes said Honda on them.

It's eBay - how do you beware of someone with perfect feedback?

[TomCrac]

eBay would love to kill/control Craigslist .... eBay does have its uses (not nearly as it once did) but for the most part fuck fee bay.

[Rip'nStick]

Just got some nice NIB spikeless golf shoes for $40 shipped.

Got some carbon fiber K2 Clicker bindings for $15 on a Buy it Now. They go for almost $300 in regular auctions.

Deals are still there but harder to find with all the retailer spam and it's still cheap compared to old classified advertising.

Where are you getting Clicker boots though? Did K2's Kwicker come out yet?

[stalefish3169]

I gotta say Ebay's been nothing but good to me over the years. Obviously, you need to protect your neck. However, I got a mint phone on there about a year ago that would've cost me a few hundo anywhere else. Sold my beater phone for $50 almost instantly too! That sure beat the fuck out of what Big Red would give me, which was like 18 cents or something. And although I waited a long time for a deal on what I was looking for, I just snagged a rare $800 DAC for $275 with a warranty.

Only time I've ever had a problem was when a dealer tried to tax my nuts off for shipping on an LCD TV a few years back when they were still new and expensive.

[rideit]

I have been buying some incredible guitars for really cheap lately, but yeah, you gotta be ON it.

[huckbucket]

Alright ... let's summarize.

Ebay fees and buyer protections now suck.
The place is crawling with professional flea marketers.
A few mobile tools and/or a lot of patience can still score you some cheap goods.
Fake musical instruments and cheap Chinese parts with Honda badges are ripe for the pickin.

[rideit]

Haha...nobody would bother to fake the older weirdo guitars I buy!

The Buyer (and seller) protection has been AMAZING in the last two years for me, I really can't complain.

[huckbucket]

^^ Probably more collectible than you think.

[rideit]

Ummm....interesting, I guess.
If you are into that sorta thing.

[systemoverblow'd]

Got some carbon fiber K2 Clicker bindings for $15 on a Buy it Now. They go for almost $300 in regular auctions.

Aghahahahaha! You over paid by about $15. Seriously, I wouldn't even mount those on my old boards for nostalgia. The belong right next to baseless bindings of the 90s, in the trash.

[MMP]

It's eBay - how do you beware of someone with perfect feedback?

i would thing the cheapest parts are the aftermarket OEM parts, and for slightly more, but still less than a dealer you can score original parts, in their original boxes. The starter for example fit a wide range of honda models and i have no idea how old it was even though it was NIB. I suppose someone could rebadge cheap parts in a box.....

[4matic]

Aghahahahaha! You over paid by about $15. Seriously, I wouldn't even mount those on my old boards for nostalgia. The belong right next to baseless bindings of the 90s, in the trash.

And you ride how many days a year in Boston? I've been riding K2 Clicker bindings since the first year, 1994, and have never had a failure. And, if you in fact knew anything about K2 Clicker bindings (or snowboarding for that matter, unless you are a hipster jib freak), you might know that snow doesn't stick to carbon fiber and therefore the carbon fiber bindings don't clog. The bindings were re-introduced by K2 this year too.

Clicker system:

"The whole Clicker setup is super light and responsive," says Eric Arnold,
North American Freeride champ. "It sends a lot of power to the edges."
We're not just saying that the Clicker is the best all mountain system in
the world. The results say it, too.

1st Eric Arnold, '98 North American Freeride Championships, Kirkwood
1st Gareth Van Dyk, '98 U.S. Extreme Championships, Crested Butte (won by Clicker riders three years straight)
1st Cyril Neri, '98 Red Bull Extreme Contest, Verbier
1st Cyril Neri, '98 Snowlegends Competition, La Grave
1st Paul Elkins, '97 U.S. Extreme Championships, Crested Butte
1st Chris Engelsman, '96 U.S. Extreme Championships, Crested Butte