Ten Reasons You Should Not Buy Things from EBay
There are many reasons to buy stuff off of eBay. But have you ever considered the reasons not too? If you’ve only thought of the good, believe me, you are not alone. These are the ten reasons not to buy things from eBay.
One: Often times, the item is not accurately portrayed in the picture. The item may have flaws that may be hidden or disguised in the photo. Also, often the picture is a stock picture and the seller simply describes the differences from the stock and the actual item for sale.
Two: You are paying big time for the convenience of not having to leave your home. Sure, you can shop in your underwear, but is the price worth it? You’re paying several dollars extra in shipping that could be saved by driving three miles to the local Wal-Mart. You also have to contend with other customers bidding on the item and driving up the price. You could end up paying ten dollars for something like a coffee mug that you could buy at the dollar store.
Three: You actually end up waiting longer to receive your item for all the time you’re saving by not going to the store. You have to keep in mind both shipping time and waiting for the auction to be over before you can claim your treasure.
Four: Selection is at an all time high on eBay. However, so is similarity. If you type in ‘blue shirt,’ you might get ten thousand blue shirts. Sounds like a lot of right? But, 9500 of these are the same shirt. Some selection, huh?
Five: The chance of going to Target, buying a toaster and having it broken is much less than praying that the toaster that you purchased from Jane Brick in Salt Lake City, Utah will be busted.
Six: Which bring us to the return policy. Sure eBay has a return policy, but isn’t it simpler to return your broken toaster to Target than mail it across the country? Plus, you may have to prove you didn’t cause the damage that broke the toaster. And eBay only helps you up to five hundred dollars.
Seven: Competition is fierce for hard to find items. You may be willing to spend five thousands dollars for a leather couch today, but how does the seller know this? Some items are equipped with ‘buy it now’ buttons at which, for a certain price, you can skip the bidding process. But once someone bids, that option is no longer available.
Eight: The purpose, in my opinion, of eBay, is its convenience. Find anything, anywhere in the world, in a matter of minutes, from the privacy of your own home. However, most sellers with items over a certain weight will forgo shipping and make their items pick up only. This is not only inconvenient, but only dangerous.
Nine: How do you know who to believe? Sure the listing says brand new, never been used, but after you plunk down your hard earned cash to the seller, and receive your item, who’s to say it’ll be new? It may be packaged in a new box, but the item inside may clearly be used. It’s your word against the sellers.
Ten: Buying things from home may well be easy, but it can be awfully lonely. There’s no human contact, no service with a smile. You’re just another faceless person attached to a paypal account.
Please don’t assume that all eBay experiences are bad. I’ve had both bad experiences and perfectly lovely ones that I’d be happy to share sometimes. It’s just that people are sometimes only willing to see the benefits of something that they neglect to see that everything, no matter how good it seems, has a bad side.
