Buying things on ebay?

Question

I want an ipod nano really bad, but my mom and dad are doing the right thing and having me pay for it myself. i got the rebate from my old mp3 player back, which was about a hundred dollars, and i've saved around 15 myself. i've been thinking about buying one on ebay, but i'm afraid of the risks. what kid of things should i know about the ipod i'm bidding on before i place the bid? please answer my question

Answer 1

Make sure it's brand new. I would not buy a used Ipod without seeing it and holding it. It's very easy to take a picture that hides massive scratches on the screen, or to hide the fact that the battery won't hold a charge for very long.

In general, find a reputable seller with 99% positive feedback and has been selling on ebay for months or years. You also might want to have your parents put it on their credit card and you give them cash since they can dispute the charge with the credit company if anything goes wrong.

Answer 2

I've both bought and sold a few iPods on eBay and I've had great experiences. The first thing you need to do is be patient and don't go for the first iPod that you see. The prices will look cheap until the last few hours when people put their bids in, the price will dramatically increase.

You should try getting a refurbished iPod. Most people don't want to buy refurbished because at some point something was wrong with it but it has been repaired, they see it as being less reliable. Most refurbished iPods come with a warranty so go with that.

You must:
*Look for a warranty
*Read the entire description
*Review the sellers feedback, see if they're trustworthy
*Make sure there's a picture of the actual Nano
(there are a lot of Chinese look-a-likes that sell for a lot less - they definitely are not genuine iPod Nanos)
*Watch the item & bid within the last hour
*Pay attention to the shipping costs, stay within your price range
*Pay with PayPal, they have special buyer protection (it will say in the auction whether or not they accept PayPal - If they do rip you off, which is unlikely, you will get your money back)
*Lastly, because you're new, be sure to pay almost immediately after the auction ends, it will show the seller that you're reliable & on your way to becoming a pro-buyer.

If you have realistic expectations and you're patient, you can have a great eBay experience. You just have to realize that most of the sellers aren't professional companies, they're people with lives and families just like you.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I was afraid to buy things on ebay too at first until I actually tried it! 98% of the people on ebay are not out to scam you believe it or not. Most are honest, prompt, and give excellent customer service. Buy only from sellers with great feedback and sellers who have sold a lot of items online. You might have a hard time buying an expensive item like an ipod nano online for your first purchase, because you don't have any positive feedback you are brand new. After you gain a good reputation on ebay people will be eager to sell to you.

I don't own a nano so I can't tell you what to look for. I would make sure the seller provides plenty of his own pics, not picks downloaded off of Apple's website! If anything is unclear about the item ask questions! If you don't see something listed as being included assume it isn't!

How professional the seller is tells you a lot about his reliablilty. If he took the time to take a lot of photos, provide elaborate details about the selling terms, and provides a long list of what is included and what is not then chances are he is a pro at this and is reliable

Never buy from a seller who has less than 97% feedback!

Answer 4

you need to read the description carefully. if you are not sure that there is enough information for you to make a decision, then write to them. you need to see their feedback rating, and see if they are reputable. there is no reason for them to have below 99 percent. i wouldn't buy from anyone with a lower rating. if they have a negative feedback, read the reason why. sometimes things do happen, but, if they have several, and they are all similar reasons why, avoid them. try to buy new if you can.
i buy and sell on eBay all the time and haven't had but a couple bad experiences out of about a thousand. if you don't like what you get..............you can always resell it on eBay. i have. sometimes i've even made more for it than i bought it for.

i was recently on targets website.............target.com and i was looking at the ipods for my kids, and at the time they had some ipods that were under a hundred dollars, as they were refurbished models. you might want to look into those, because you may still get a manufacturers warranty and such.

good luck, hope this helps you some.

Answer 5

Read the reviews of the seller! Ebay trys really hard to make it a safe marketplace. Make sure you take advantage of it. Read the reviews, and only bid on stuff from the sellers that have good reviews.

With Ipods you need to know what you need, how much memory do you need?

Also, be careful to read the item description. Used ipods can have lots of problems that can be really expensive to fix, like battery problems, or scratched faces.

Watch some before you actually bid, so you know how expensive the good ones are going for, so you know if you are getting a good deal or getting ripped off.

Answer 6

Buying from an ebay store is generally better for electronics than an individual seller. They buy in bulk and most will be new and packaged/sealed. Compare any photos and specifications with the apple ipod site and with other ipods being sold. Check seller feedback, know what buyers are saying about them. Check postage cost to make sure you're not saving money on the item only to lose it on post. Check item and seller location - it's not generally advised to buy an electronic item from overseas (it could be a knock-off). And finally, if in doubt as the seller as many questions about the item as you can. If their answers are vague or unhelpful it's probably best not to buy from them. Honest ebayers have nothing to hide.

Answer 7

Pay close attention to the sellers feedback score. You can read feedback that buyers have left for that seller. Also, pay close attention to the shipping costs. Many sellers may have an item for sale at a very low cost, but they sky rocket the price of the shipping costs. Read the fine print. If you have any questions for the seller, you can always ask. Good luck to you!

Answer 8

you should make sure the seller has a good rating, plus most ipod sellers are companies that buy from apple in large quantities and then make there money on ebay, bidding from them is probably your safest and easiest way

Answer 9

I would get a refurbished one from apple. the nanos start at 119 for a 2gb. They have the same guarantee as the new ones apple offers, so if something is wrong apple will fix it. Good luck!

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=B22223D1&nclm=Certified

Answer 10

generally ebay sucks!

you're better off going to wal-mart or circuit city where you can have full warranty and return it without problems.

ebay is a headache. almost no customer service when you have a problem... paypal sucks etc.

go to a store...