Ebay.

[DVX100Shooter]

Just wondering if anyone on here has paid close to $1,000 or more for some equipment on Ebay. I saw some stuff on there that I like and the price is good but I dont want to spend all this money then get screwed.

[Barry_Green]

I've probably spent $40,000 or so on ebay over the years, but not too much on each individual transaction. *I think about $2500 or so is probably the biggest transaction I've done.

I've had probably 600 transactions as a buyer and a seller, and I only got hosed once as a buyer (seller misrepresented product, then lied about shipping it, lied about insurance, lied about a lot of stuff. *Eventually did get a refund).

If buying off ebay, the key is to first know what it is you're buying. *Knowing what you're shopping for can help you weed out a whole ton of problems.

Second is to deal with a reputable seller, someone who's done over a hundred transactions with no negative feedback is preferable.

Third, be aware of the potential of identity theft -- a major ebay scam is to go "phishing" for identities, and then when the thief latches onto someone with a good record, they instantly start "selling" products, like they'll list a dozen DVX100's for $1800 each or whatever. *Their plan is to get your money and disappear before the account's true owner catches on. *So if it seems too good to be true... look at the seller's history. If all they've ever sold is Beanie Babies, and all of a sudden they have a dozen DVX100's available for sale, run!

Finally, watch out for escrow fraud. *If you're doing a high-buck transaction and you're worried, you may insist on escrow, but if you do, ONLY use ebay's authorized escrow service. *Lots of scamsters will set up bogus (but very official-looking) escrow sites. *If the seller insists on using their own escrow site, walk away from that transaction.

Oh, also, be concerned about international transactions -- there's a lot of theft going on in former Soviet countries like the Ukraine, where they INSIST on Western Union Wire Transfers as payment. *So much so that when I tried to buy a camera from a known seller there, Western Union tried hard to talk me out of it! *But after they made it very clear that I was on my own, they let me do it and all was well... but this was a seller I'd bought from before. *If it was an unknown seller, well... I probably would have either insisted on escrow or just walked away.

And if you're a seller, beware the Indonesia scam, where you list an item and someone in Indonesia writes in and says "I'll pay double your list price but I have to have the item immediately. *Can you take a credit card?" *They'll insist on paying by credit card, because it's a stolen credit card and once you ship the goods to Indonesia, you're hosed.

Keep an eye on shipping as well. *I've bought and sold so much, I have a good eye for what shipping should cost. *This last transaction I did, I guessed shipping should be around $100-$110 or so, and bid accordingly. *After winning, the seller said "Shipping will be $294"!! *I called that into question, and they were able to arrange a second quote for $160, which is good enough (packing up multiple lights and stands and stuff should entitle the seller to some packaging and handling fees). *If your seller plans to just take the stuff to Mail Boxes Etc. and pay whatever MBE asks, you can count on getting raked in shipping charges. *Ask for an estimate, using your zipcode, before you buy so you know what the TOTAL will be... $294 shipping on a $555 purchase was a little excessive, I thought!

So anyway, I've found ebay to be a panacea, but I know that others have been burnt. *Good luck, ask the seller lots of questions, and cover your bases and you should be okay.

[DVX100Shooter]

Thanks Barry, I have bought stuff off Ebay several times over the years but nothing in the $1,000 range. The only thing that sticks out with the product I am looking at is that the seller must be new to Ebay because he has no history for me to check out (feedback I mean) The item costs close to $1300.00 brand new and he has it for $700 brand new, never used. So one side of me says go for it but the other side says no! I just dont want to send a paypal payment for $700 then get a empty box in the mail! Somebody at my job had that happen to them! He won something on Ebay and got a empty box after he sent his money!

[Barry_Green]

I try never to deal with 0-feedback ebayers, as buyers or sellers. If you can drive over there and pick the item up, it might be okay, but as far as shipping it, no thanks.

Second, Paypal has some sort of money-back option you can choose and pay for. On $700 it might cost $20 or $40 or so for that insurance, but it might be worth it.

I wouldn't buy a $700 item from a zero-feedback seller unless I could pick the item up, or use escrow.

[rfinch3]

ASK FOR A PHONE NUMBER, TALK TO THEM ON THE PHONE, GET THERE NAME (FULL NAME) LOOK THEM UP ON THE NET FIND OUT WHERE THEY LIVE, AND DON'T ASK BUT TELL THEM THERE ADDRESS.... IF IT IS A SCAM THEY WILL WALK AWAY FROM IT .... I AM NOT SAYING DO A BACK GROUND CHECK JUST LOOK IN THE WHITE PAGES ON YAHOO AND FIND THEM.

[DVX100Shooter]

LOL!!! Yea that's not a bad idea! Im in Philly area and the seller is in Texas so I can forget about driving over to pick it up! I do have some friends there in Austin that could do it for me. I think I might just have to let that one slide unless I can do everything before the auction ends which is sometime today.

[billyDe]

eBay is great! BUT...can be very dangerous if you are not careful. Avoid any deals that request payment via Western Union only. Look for sellers that will accept major credit cards or PayPal. It's tough to get ripped off when you have a credit card company by your side.

There are some chat pages on eBay that will give you a good idea about the latest scams out there. Remember, just because a seller has 100+ feedbacks doesn't mean your in the clear. Crooks might build up feedback selling marbles...then bang you for the big one and close their account. Check the feedback AND the items that they've been selling. It's a good idea to check out their buyers as well to see if they're legit.

Get a phone number and make a call. Look the number up in Google to match addresses...etc. If you still don't feel comfortable...pay a couple bucks more and go with a store that you know exists...or just visit eBay is great! BUT...can be very dangerous if you are not careful. Avoid any deals that request payment via Western Union only. Look for sellers that will accept major credit cards or PayPal. It's tough to get ripped off when you have a credit card company by your side.

There are some chat pages on eBay that will give you a good idea about the latest scams out there. Remember, just because a seller has 100+ feedbacks doesn't mean your in the clear. Crooks might build up feedback selling marbles...then bang you for the big one and close their account. Check the feedback AND the items that they've been selling. It's a good idea to check out their buyers as well to see if they're legit.

Get a phone number and make a call. Look the number up in Google to match addresses...etc. If you still don't feel comfortable...pay a couple bucks more and go with a store that you know exists.

Billy de Cola
www.Big10Media.com
JAPAN

[Hungry_Horse]

Yes, I have spent several thousand dollars on Ebay. Everything from Motion picture/Video euipment to automobiles and have yet to get taken (knock on wood) as a matter of fact, I just purchased a DVX100A for $3,095.00 today. If your interested in a DVX100A the place that I bought from had several listed and they are all USA warranty, brand new. Here is the Ebay listing number (3812115355) of my purchase. Just thought I'd mention it 'cause I know ther are alot of people looking to upgrade from the 100. Oh, and by the way, I do not work for them...although maybe I can get a discount on future purchases?? Ha, ha.

F-stop-Fitzgerald